Das Chandra
by Jtoasn
Summary: The Gods had blessed them with a happy ending, and an ever after, but it was the angels in jealousy and envy of their love that decided that tragedy is the best ending to all stories. Dastamina.
1. Part One

_Das Chandra_

Part One

When she turns, she shames the wild cattle and the gazelles,

And when she walks, the willow branch is jealous of her.

When she unveils, her face outshines the sun and the moon and she enslaves all that look on her.

A prisoner of her gaze and a guardian of her soul.

Only one man could take her heart and he would give his own willingly.

This is the part of true love.

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**Sorry about the confusion guys, but this is PART ONE.**  
**Chapter 1 is chapter 2 now, so just skip to chapter 3 to read the new chapter. Sorry It won't happen again, I have it all sorted out.**


	2. Chapter One: Our Wedding

_Das Chandra_

Chapter One: Our Wedding

Tamina's hands were shaking as she felt the veil draped over her head, she let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding. Her hands were on her stomach, and she swore that she could feel the butterflies on her fingertips. She felt like a child again, dressing in her mother's ceremonial gowns, when she was supposed to be studying, imagining being the High Priestess and Princess of Alamut.

Now in the gowns she wore, she felt the same; small, like a child and completely unaware of what lay before her.

_Without the marriage to the Prince, war will ensure between the two cities, and Alamut will fall._

Tamina tried to remember these words, but she could not concentrate. Not with the smells of the sweets and the spices, and not with her face covered by the veil, and not with the maids holding her hand as she was lead into the room.

People cheered as she entered, and she felt her hand tighten on the maids as she edged closer to where Dastan sat. Her hand was still on her stomach, and the butterflies were trying to kill her from the inside.

She let out a deep breath, as she felt him beside her. Closing her eyes she made a silent prayer to the Gods that she was doing the right thing, and that this wasn't a mistake. The heaviness of the mirror was placed on her knee, and she knew now it was time to pull away her veil.

Her heart stopped as she saw his reflection and he saw hers, beside each other they looked like the perfect image of a bride and groom.

She felt her heart tighten as she saw that he had the same look that he had when he had first seen her; not a look of lust or childish desire to conquer everything he spotted, but a look of knowledge and respect and something else she had not expected, a look of love.

And to her surprise, she saw the same thing mirrored in her eyes; she looked up at him, her eyes searching his, "Answer me a question"

"Anything Princess"

Tamina knew that her response to the wedding weighed heavily on the answer that he gave her now, "Do you know of the dagger?"

"You ask me this now?" he asked, but he looked over at her, and with only a brief hesitation answered, "Yes"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because nothing has changed" he said, as he continued to look at her in the mirror, he smiled, "You're still beautiful"

Tamina stared at Dastan, she should be leaving him there, if he knew of the dagger she had no choice but to say no. But there was the sincerity in his voice and the look in his eye, it was unexpected, something the Guardians hadn't taken into account, something that _she_ hadn't taken into account. The unsaid feelings that lay between them, this fit nowhere in the calculations.

There was a sudden cheer and the couple realised that the rest of the ceremony was continuing around them.

"Prince Dastan, will you accept Princess Tamina as your wife?"

This time there was no hesitation, but his voice trembled as if he didn't trust himself to speak it aloud, "Yes"

"Princess Tamina, will you accept Prince Dastan as your husband?"

Tamina remained silent, but her mind was already made. The maids giggled and responded behind her, "The bride has gone to pick flowers"

"For the second time I ask, will you accept Prince Dastan as your husband?"

And once again Tamina remained silent as the maids responded, she looked up at Dastan, and even with the fact that they had both attended many marriage ceremonies before, he was worried for the next answer.

"The bride has gone to bring rose-water"

"For the third time I ask, will you accept Prince Dastan as your husband?"

This was the moment, the answer that she had already decided on; she did not known him well enough for her to judge his character, but she knew had to trust him for her to reply, she could not change her answer once she said it.

"Yes"

Dastan let out a breath that he had been holding, and he smiled a relieved smile that made her heart flutter inside her. The butterflies were still there but she felt calmer than she had ever felt in her life.

Dastan moved towards her a centimetre and a small blush crept into her cheeks when Dastan whispered to her, "These traditions are bothersome"

"You are now declared husband and wife"

He held out his hand and she placed hers in his, the henna tattoos visible against the tanned skin and white dress that she wore, he kissed it gently but let it linger.

A cup of honey was handed between them, and Tamina and Dastan couldn't hold back their nervous laughter as they saw it.

Tamina took the cup nervously and dipped her finger in it. She could see the redness on his neck as he leaned over and ate the honey off of her finger. Once again her chest tightened at their first intimate contact. Now it was his turn, as he dipped his finger in the honey and held it out to her, she only hesitated briefly before leaning over and did the same.

Dastan could hear his brothers chuckling at both of their red faces. But there was still more of the ceremony to complete, but for now, they were officially man and wife, bound together by not only marriage, but a secret that only few knew.

Tamina's veil fell onto her face again, and Dastan moved his hand to lift it back onto her head, but as he did he touched her cheek and she looked over at him. "Thank you for saying yes"

"You destroyed my city" she said, and instantly regretted it when she saw the sorrow that crossed his face, but she reached up and touched his cheek, just under the scar, "Thank you for telling me the truth"

The small exchange was not seen by many of the guests, but two brothers who stood watching their youngest marry for the first time had spotted it.

"This feels different" Garsiv said, he had been to too many weddings, most of them Tus' and some of them his, but he knew that this exchange and even past moments were something that was absent in the other marriages, "It's like they're…."

"They're in love" Tus agreed, he too had seen the changes in Dastan, and it wasn't just because it was his first wedding, "It's unbelievable but they're in love"

"Prince Tus, Prince Garsiv the Valime is prepared in the next room"

They both looked back at the couple, who had returned to their shy glances as Tamina was led away by her maids, so they stepped forward and grabbed Dastan's arms.

"Congratulations little brother" Garsiv said, "One down, six to go"

"No, just one" Dastan said, "I hope you don't mind"

Tus and Garsiv shot a look at each other, but both understanding why his brother chose to have only one wife, "So she's the only one?"

"She is THE one" Dastan said, and he let out another sigh and a nervous chuckle, "Gods I thought she would say no"

"With the look of terror in your eyes when you saw her enter, I'm surprised she didn't"

But the taunts of his older brother wouldn't calm his nerves or his heart.

"Don't mind Garsiv Dastan, you just mind about the last _ceremony_" Tus said, stressing on the last word, and realisation struck him, he was married now and that meant that one ceremony the last one, would be the one to cement the marriage of Dastan and Tamina as husband and wife.

"I don't feel so well" Dastan said, but his brothers continued to push him forward towards the dining table.

"Dastan, what kind of brothers would we be if we didn't give you some helpful hints for tonight" Garsiv said, "It will benefit both you AND the princess, and since you're only having one bride, you have no practice shots at this"

Dastan heard the laughter of his brothers ringing in his ears, as he was pushed and sat down in the seat next to Tamina, by the look on her face and the giggling of the maids; it wasn't very hard to think of what they had been discussing as well.

He spotted the glass of wine in front of him, and took a gulp of it before Tus whispered in his ear, "Not too much wine Dastan, you want to impress her tonight, not disappoint"

Having her new husband choke on his wine wasn't something Tamina had anticipated, but she had heard what Tus had said, and she was glad that he was just as nervous as she was.

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**A few notes, the ceremony that I've written out for the wedding of Tamina and Dastan are based off actual Persian wedding ceremonies. The eating of honey is symbolic of having sweetness in the couple's life, and the part where the maids kept on saying "The bride has gone…" is an old tradition where it is believed the bride should make the groom wait for her hand in marriage and not answer straight away. **

**These are very lovely ceremonies and very joyous as I've been to a few of them, I've of course omitted certain parts because this is obviously Ancient Persia and not the modern equivalent.**


	3. Chapter Two: The Preparations

**Thank you so far for the reviews guys, I hope you're all getting my responses. Keep reviewing I want to know what you guys think, and if you can guess what the title means because it's sort of the whole concept of the story.**

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_Das Chandra_

Chapter Two: The Preparations

The night progresses as the couple's union was celebrated between the Persians and the Alamutians, but Dastan spotted instantly when Garsiv and Tus left the table, and his nerves began once again.

After managing through the ceremonies of Tus' and Garsiv's wedding he knew what they were sneaking off to do, and he hoped that Tamina hadn't noticed their departure as well, because then they would have to speak about what came next.

"Your brothers have left"

Dastan had wished to avoid this, so he thought to perhaps distract her, "Oh really? I hadn't noticed"

"Well it's so nice to know that our wedding is so dreadful that they did not wish to stay" Tamina said back, glad that the fighting between them was occurring again, this part of normalcy calmed her at least briefly.

He leaned over towards her, "It's tradition for my family to go into our wedding room, and decorate the bed in which tonight we will-" Dastan stopped at this point, knowing that he didn't have to finish for her to understand what he meant.

He reached for another cup of wine, but he recalled what Tus had told him and grabbed the water instead. Tamina could not pretend that she did not notice this, and she knew why so suddenly she couldn't think of an insult to throw back at him.

The feeling that had disappeared (briefly) in her stomach returned and the calm that she had felt disappeared with it. She had been told by the maids what this night would entail, and even with their words of encouragement she could not help but feel completely unprepared.

It was one thing to accept the proposal of a man that not only destroyed but saved her city, and had brought back the dagger even with his knowledge of what it did, but to lay in bed with a man and to give herself, body and soul.

She saw Dastan's brothers enter again, with grins on their faces as they smiled in Dastan's general direction, and she felt the maids next to her. But not only that, they eyes of people who were also enjoying the feast were looking at them, each knowing what came next.

She stood from her seat and was led out of the room, and Bis smiled at Dastan handing him an apple.

"Your father sends word"

Tamina on the other hand was trying to remain composed as the maids stripped her of her clothes and the decorations that she held in her hair for the ceremony. This part of the wedding was one that did not need the decorations 'getting in the way' as one maid had described it.

"Princess Tamina, you must use this to your advantage, conceive a child, the next guardian of the sacred dagger, that is your duty"

"I understand"

They handed her the gown she would present herself to Dastan in and her breath caught in her throat. How did she get to the part in the story where she would give her body to the Prince of Persia, on their wedding night?

"Are you prepared for this?"

She considered this, and considered the moments she had been with Dastan, in between their fights and constant bickering there had been many defining moments before this one where she could have denied him, and refused to marry him.

In fact, she could remember each moment as clearly as if they had just occurred.

When she had first heard that the Lion of Persia, the last and youngest prince would most likely take her hand in marriage, she looked at each of the brothers in search of him. She knew it was him by the way he looked at her, as if she had fallen from the heavens and was a gift from the Gods.

She had only seen the Persian that destroyed her city, assuming control of her nation with a marriage that she did not wish for. He looked foolish, and not like a prince when he stumbled over his words at her.

He had handed her the dagger then, and she knew it as soon as she saw his face, and looked into his eyes that he knew what it was worth, and knew the cost that came with it. He spoke words in the garden and she could have denied him then, at that moment, and although she could feel the guardians begging her not to do it, he was looking at her with those eyes. She put her hand in his, and a smile graced that ridiculously handsome face.

What she had remembered about the second time was that Dastan did not like to be involved in such religious matters, especially when it involved ceremonial robes and incenses that twisted the mind for those who were not accustomed to them. She took to noticing that he and his brother, Garsiv, shared the same thoughts on religious matters; they won't be involved, they won't be tricked.

"You need not attend if you do not wish, Prince Dastan" she had told him, hoping to find an excuse to not marry him, "It is not completely necessary for you to be there"

"Do you wish me there Princess?"

She could have said no, she could have said that only a rightful Prince and future King of Alamut could attend the ceremonies, in fact she did say that and she saw the smirk that crossed his face as she did.

But despite all his misgivings Dastan attended all of the ceremonies that Tamina had put to him to attend, and although he fell asleep in more than one ceremony seeing him there (despite what her head and Guardians told her) made her smile.

The third time, she had just left a meeting with the guardians to discuss the wedding and the implications it meant for the dagger. They had told her that they suspected that Dastan knew of the dagger, and she was meant to tell them of her suspicions as well.

"Princess, this may be the last chance you have to back away from the wedding, to deny the Persian's our city"

"I will consider it and think over the past days that the Prince has been here if there is anything I suspect of him"

She had taken a walk through the gardens and found herself walking through the cherry trees, they were still too young to be used in ceremonies, but the fruit they bore was sweet and at times some were sour, ever since she was a girl they were her favourites to eat.

In contemplation she saw something out of the corner of her eyes, "Prince Dastan?"

"I am sorry if I startled you Princess"

"What are you doing in these gardens?" she had asked him, authority seeping into her voice as he stepped forward "You're not supposed to be here"

"I understand that Princess, but there are many dangers for you out here, by yourself"

"What dangers?"

He snatched his hand out and grabbed something in the air beside her ear, Tamina had not expected it and gasped as she thought that he was aiming for her, but he opened his hands and a fly escaped.

"So you will follow me? Just to make sure that a fly does not touch me? Because I am your prize and no one else's" she asked, "You have quite a barbaric view of this relationship"

"Perhaps" he said, agreeing with her when she had expected them to begin fighting again, "but I would follow you to heaven Princess to make sure that you are safe"

He walked beside her until she returned to the Guardians chambers.

"Have you made your choice princess?"

This was perhaps the last time that she could be rid of the barbarian that was the Prince of Persia, and her future husband.

But she remained silent, as if the gods had taken away her words and they remained in her throat, unspoken and secret. "There is nothing to suspect from Prince Dastan, he is but an ignorant fool"

But as she lay down to dream that night, after the prayers and the ceremonies, she dreamed that she was walking through the gardens of heaven, and out of the corner of her eyes she saw Dastan hiding behind cherry branches.

"I have made my decision" she told them, and she knew that she had not made that decision today; she had already made it long ago, when he had held out his hand to her and she had taken it.

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**It is also an added tradition that the groom's family adorn the wedding bed that the bride and the groom would be sleeping in on their nuptial night. I didn't write Garsiv and Tus' pov on that account, perhaps someone will write a one shot later. **

**Also, check up on chapter one because I moved everything back one chapter because it worked out better in my head. soz. **


	4. Chapter Three: Our Wedding Night

**Thank you so much for the reviews and the hits on this story, this is a long chapter so I hope you guys like the extra effort that went into it, and I'm sorry again that this is a tragedy, I just can't stand happy endings unless they're done right. And thank you for those who are voting on my profile poll, I'll try and get some ideas for a new storyline. **

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_Das Chandra_

Chapter Three: Our Wedding Night

Dastan downstairs read the letter send by his father, who had remained in Nasef for his wedding. He had hoped that he could have managed the journey, but his father had taken ill since his brother's death.

He was unable to travel, and only sent a few words of wisdom and encouragement to Dastan.

He felt his brother's heavy hands on his shoulders.

"Dastan, we know father would have come through the biggest sandstorm to be here for you on this day of your wedding, and although he isn't here _we_ are" Tus said, in the same sort of wise tone that the King shared.

"Thank you Tus" he said, as he stood up and ran a hand through his hair, finding some rose petals he shook them off, "I'm sick of these flowers"

"Wait until you see how we did the bed"

Then the sudden moment of peace that Dastan was enjoying was shattered as Garsiv and Tus led him to the bedchambers.

"Don't panic and look for a window to jump out of, because there are none"

"Just relax Dastan" they told him as he stood outside the chamber doors, "Your _little one_ will know just what to do"

And with a push, Dastan entered the room.

He saw the bed, and let out a relieved breath as he saw that it had not been covered to a ridiculous amount as Dastan had expected from his brothers, the rest of the room was lit with candles and he was glad that there was no incense; it made him drowsy and just a bit ill.

But he felt ill here nevertheless.

For the only reason that he noticed the small details of the room was because he was trying to avoid thinking of the most important detail, that wasn't in the room.

Panic rose in the pit of his stomach, had she finally decided to not do this, changing her mind and closing herself off from him altogether. He had hoped that with each passing day of the last month that he had spent at Alamut that he could make an impression on the Princess, that she in turn would grow with him and accept him.

But every time he tried to get close to her they would only end up fighting, maybe he hadn't done enough to salvage any type of relationship with her. Up till this moment he believed that she had begun to feel _something_, and then she had asked him only moments before their marriage was legitimate if he knew about the dagger.

He could have lied, he should have lied, but in her eyes she had asked for the truth and that was his undoing.

And now he was in this room, dressed in these ridiculous clothes, and the bed he sat on was covered with flowers and candles.

Tamina uttered words of prayer as she entered the room; her eyes remained closed as if she was scared to open them, so her senses told her what lay in wait inside. There were roses and lilies from the gardens, and the smell of oil from candles burning around the room.

Opening her eyes she saw none of this, she only saw Dastan who was hastily stripping off his clothes, but she noticed that it was not in a way of impatient lust, but of burden. He was uncomfortable in those clothes, as if they had been suffocating to him all through the ceremony.

"Dastan" she spoke the word so quietly that she did not expect him to hear it, but the sounds of the celebrations downstairs did not disturb the silence of this room. So he lifted his head up and turned to look at her.

His breath caught in his throat, and Dastan believed in that moment that you could kill a man with a single glance, because his heart was beating madly in his chest as he saw her. Gone were the ceremonial robes that they had worn earlier, earlier… even the word sounded as if it belonged to another world.

She stepped forward as if she wanted his approval of the plain dress that she wore, appearing more sensual and intimate than dresses worn to be revealing to others. She was nervous, so nervous in fact that she was calm.

"Tamina" he whispered back, just as softly as his gaze on her was, and suddenly he wanted to tell her about the dagger, about what had happened, about everything. He wanted to tell her as soon as he saw her, all his secrets, his dreams and his thought of the future. But instead the only word that came out of his mouth was one that neither of them had expected, "Ostrich"

The words had been ripped out of him before he could stop them, and he got up from his place on the bed, rushing forward to Tamina's stunned and not so impressed face.

"I'm sorry that didn't come out right"

"Is there a right way to say such a thing, Prince Dastan?"

They were back to using honorifics again, it wasn't looking good. He had been thinking about the ostrich costume that she had been wearing in another time, and how this looked better than that, but in avoiding speaking about the future that never occurred he had only spoken one word.

"No, I was just thinking about something els- no, no not in that way" he added hastily to Tamina, he let out a sign and turned away from her, running his hand nervously through his hair again, "I'm sorry… I'm messing this up"

_Conceive the next guardian of the dagger... _That is what came into her mind then.

"You know what is expected of us tonight" she said bravely as she put her hands on his shoulders, and in doing this she couldn't help but notice the body that was hidden under the clothes.

She had heard the maids giggling in the gardens only days after the Princes arrival; they had been watching him spar with his brothers. And although Garsiv was more brutal and head on with his fighting, Dastan was almost graceful in his defences and she could feel the muscle under the loose shirt.

But he turned around and shook his head, "Tamina, there's something I have to tell you"

Instantly she knew that it was about the dagger, and she moved away from him, as if it had burned to touch him.

"I need to tell you what happened, before anything else -"

"Did you only remain in Alamut just because of the dagger?" she asked him, it was a question that had been burning in her mind since the ceremony downstairs, "Just because of its power"

"I remained here because I know that you cannot protect it alone" Dastan said, "I stayed here because I thought that someone else would try and use it, and I know I can't let that happen"

Tamina was surprised at his words, "Something terrible must have happened for you to want to protect it and not use it for your own advantage"

Dastan looked at her; she was amazing in everything that she did, and there she was standing in front of him as his wife, and she wanted to know what happened.

"What happened to me?"

"What makes you think it was you?"

"Dastan, you can't fool me" she said, anger rising in her voice, "These past weeks we have spent together, you've done things and said things that have caught me off guard, like you're trying to prove something to me-"

"I was only wishing to be accepted into your life Tamina"

"No, it is more than that. You didn't want to give me an excuse to say no to you, you wanted to stay in Alamut, and you wanted to be wed… even if it was just for the dagger"

"No Tamina" he said, grabbing her arm, "I didn't do it just because of the dagger, I did it for you because I love-"

He stopped.

It was too soon for her to hear those words; even through all they had been through Dastan knew he could say it to her, because he knew what had happened and was not ashamed. But she didn't know anything that happened between them before, the quest to protect the dagger never started, she couldn't feel the same way he hadn't won her heart… not yet.

"Dastan" she said, snapping him out of his reverie, "You say something like that and I wonder what happened between us that I just don't seem to remember, I'm sorry Dastan but I do not feel the same way and it will be a long time before I do"

"I know Tamina" he said, "And even though you will never remember what happened I want you to know that I will understand if you do not wish to be with me tonight, I will wait until you are ready"

She looked at the bed, so beautifully adorned; she had been thinking of this the entire night, in fact this moment was all that had occupied her mind through the ceremony, it was what she had been most nervous of.

_Conceive a child..._

"I know this night was supposed to be… different" Dastan said, "But I will not force you if you do not wish it"

"Dastan you tell me that I cannot protect the dagger alone, and that you will be my protector, but when you are gone what will I have of you? Who will protect me then?"

"What are you asking from me?" Dastan asked, confused.

"I need you to do something for me" she said to him, she took his hand and he looked at her, still not completely understanding, "But not here"

The two maids whose responsibility it was to take care of the Princess on her wedding night spotted the two leave their room, not understanding what was happening the followed them into one of the larger rooms of the palace.

"Why are they going in there?"One asked the other as they crept along the pathway, only moments earlier they had heard the two speaking, they had not heard what had been said, but they knew that nothing had occurred in the wedding chamber.

Then suddenly a noise erupted from the room, and they leaned onto the door to listen to what they were hearing.

"Ah! Dastan!" Tamina gasped.

"Hold it tighter" was Dastan's hushed reply.

The maids blushed deeply as they heard this, and realised that the couple had moved from the wedding chamber to perhaps avoid questioning and curious glances from those who knew that they would be _together_ tonight.

One of the maids gasped as they heard a relatively loud cry of pain from Tamina, she looked at the other maid, "He's being a bit too harsh with her"

"He is a man" the other, and more wiser in those aspects said, "and a Persian warrior"

"Ah! Dastan! Stop that"

"You have to get your body used to it"

The maids blushed again at hearing this, as inside the grunting and gasping continued, "They're a bit loud, don't you think?"

"Well you've heard them fighting around the palace these past days" the other replied, "I'm amazed that they've gotten this far, I just hope for her sake it doesn't last much longer"

"That hurt Dastan!"

There was some more grunting and gasping from the room before Tamina let out another sharp cry.

"Dastan!"

"Tam- ah!"

Then there was silence in the room.

The two maids looked at each other, they're faces red with what they had heard from the wedded couple. Meanwhile inside the room Tamina and Dastan were on the floor both breathing heavily.

"I told you this wasn't a good idea" Dastan said, "Your body is exhausted from the celebrations and festivities of the night"

"Dastan, it is something that I must learn, and I have never had someone that has been willing to teach me these things" she said, as she looked down at her hands which felt sore and red, "The guardians did not believe it was necessary for me to learn these things"

Dastan heard the sadness in her voice and he moved forward, taking her hands and massaging them for her, they were rough, the hands of a warrior and she looked up at him and saw the tenderness in his eyes where only moments ago there had been only concentration.

"I know you can defend yourself, in fact I know you could kill me if you were concentrating enough" he said, "But that was from another time"

She looked at him, "The time that occurred through the dagger you mean?"

"Yes" he murmured, then he laughed, "Honestly, I did not expect to spend my wedding night fighting with you"

She couldn't help but smile as well as she looked at the practice weapons that lay near the two, she had insisted that Dastan show her how to fight, "Neither could I, I had been so nervous and everyone downstairs was expecting it…"

"They might as well have been in the room with us" Dastan said, and then Tamina's eyes widened, "What?"

She got up from the floor and walked across to the door, and as she opened it the two maids nearly fell forward before her, their faces flushed red and Tamina's face tinged pink as she realised what they had heard. Dastan couldn't help but chuckle as they looked at the two covered in sweat and still breathing heavily from their sparing, but they weren't to know that.

"We apologize princess we didn't meant to intrude" one maid said, "We were told by the Guardians to-"

"Silence, you may go now" Tamina said, "Do not speak to anyone of what you heard here"

The maids nodded, but she knew that they would not keep their promises, the maids of the palaces gossiped more than they drank water; Tamina looked at Dastan and shared a small smile, "It seems our privacy is something else we should work on"

Dastan nodded, "Until tomorrow Princess"

She nodded but hesitated briefly as she turned back to him, "Dastan, I lied earlier…"

His eyebrows furrowed as she said this, "About what?"

"About having you wait for me to love you back" she said looking at him from across the room, she was about to say something more but she looked away from him, "Goodnight Dastan"

"Goodnight…" he said, and she left the room. Dastan walked out onto the balcony, the sun was rising and he realised that the last day of spring had ended. "Tamina"

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**Long chapter today.**

**So this scene was basically inspired by an episode in Goong: Princess Hours. I know it was meant to be serious, but I like to add a bit of humour before I start to chuck in more tragedy. Because I'm cruel that way.**


	5. Chapter Four: The Days After

**Another long chapter, I hope you guys are liking it so far. Keep reviewing and voting on my poll for the location of my next Prince of Persia (going into the future) fanfic. **

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_Das Chandra_

Chapter Four: The days after

The maids watched on at the two newlyweds, some giggling while others just stared in wonderment as their High Priestess fought with her new husband, "What a strange way for them to spend their new time together"

It was tradition for them to spend their first night together and seven days apart, but Tamina had insisted on spending the days together not in contemplation and in amour as most couples are after their nuptial night, but instead in constant battle; whether it was with their words or with the daggers that they fought with.

But despite this beginning their relationship was beginning to grow, it was on the first day after the nuptial night that this was apparent.

Tamina had woken to a large amount of pain; she had never sparred so brutally with anyone before, so of course her body was not accustomed to the stress that came with it.

"Princess, how are you this morning?"

She was surprised to see Dastan there and she looked at him through suspicious eyes, "What are you doing in my chambers?"

"I thought you would be unwell this morning, so I brought you some remedies that we use in Persia when the body has come under too much stress"

"What have the maids been saying?"

Dastan chuckled, "Many things"

Tamina's face blushed with embarrassment at hearing this, but Dastan shook his head and laughed. "Tamina, we are married now it is not something to be ashamed of"

"But nothing happened"

"That's not what they've been saying; I am seen as a barbarian now"

"And you weren't seen as one before?"

Ignoring her comment he handed her the remedy, "Drink you will feel better"

"I do not trust your Persian antidotes, I have my own healers"

"They have prepared something for you as well, but I believe it helps with helping the child we conceived last night, so if you wish to-" But he stopped when Tamina took the remedy from Dastan's hand hastily.

He stood up and began to leave, "Dastan, you will continue to show me how to fight"

"Is that an order or a request?"

"Why request something? When you are already so good at following orders" she said looking at him from over the chalice, taking a sip she immediately started to cough.

"Oh, I'm so scared" Dastan said, with a smile and then he shrugged, "Rest, I'll try and do some damage control"

She watched him leave as she put down the chalice, seeing the second one that the Guardians had given her; she had only had one objective last night. Conceive the next guardian that was all they cared about.

They didn't care about how she felt about Dastan at all.

Dastan was forbidden to see Tamina through the ceremonies the next days, even though he had participated in them before. The reason for this was because he had fallen asleep in them, but it was not his fault, the incense that rose from the floor was sluggish and seemed to capture him in a reeking nightmare.

"When will you see her again?" Bis asked, his brothers had left for Nasef as soon as the sun was midway of their first night together. But they had heard the stories of Dastan and Tamina, and were glad to send the news to father, who would know his last son was now a man.

He didn't bother to correct them.

"She is my wife Bis, of course I will see her again"

"A week is a long time" Bis said, "Even though you only have 4 more days left of this separation"

He considered this, "It is tradition"

"Their traditions Dastan, not ours, go to her... you look like you need a release"

But Dastan shook his head, of course he longed to be with her but he knew that if he pushed upon it she would hate him, and he didn't want her to hate him any more than she already did – or pretended to.

"Four days is not a long time Bis"

But he knew his friend would not understand, no one could ever understand what was going through his head, they hadn't seen what he had seen, they hadn't lost anything like he had lost.

"Let's go to the markets"

"The markets?"

"Bis, I am not allowed into the ceremonial chambers, but that does not mean I cannot go to the markets if I wish"

"If they catch us –"

"They won't catch us" Dastan said, "We're the amazing duo aren't we?"

So as they walked through the markets only a few moments later he smiled at a woman who nursed a child, and imagined Tamina nursing a child, their child but reminded himself that it was too soon.

It seemed he was reminding himself of that fact a lot lately.

Running a hand through his hair he didn't even notice when she had entered the room, "Dastan you went to the markets"

"Princess? I mean yes – I have a gift for you"

"You seem to always assume that I need a gift from you each time we meet" she said, but she took the package that he brought.

"It is only a small token"

She did not open it, but only looked at Dastan with a questioning look, "Well Dastan you are certainly not the prince that I had expected on the first day we had met, when you invaded my city"

"What did you expect from me Princess?"

"I would say, but I am a priestess and cannot" she said, and he chuckled and pointed to the package, telling her to open it.

A small toy rolled out and into her hand, taking it in her hands Dastan explained why he had bought it for her, "It was the same sort of toy that I used to have as a child"

"I didn't expect that they give toys made of straw to Princes of Persia" she said holding it in her hands, she had never seen anything quite like it before.

"They don't, at least I don't think they do" he moved to the window, "Your markets are the same as the ones in Nasef, they are the same type of markets that I was born and raised in" He turned and saw the look on her face, "Princess I am not a Prince of royal blood, I was - and in my heart I know I still remain – a street rat"

"How did you become Prince?"

"Father found me, he gave me a home, and a family... If it wasn't for his and my brother's kindness and trust to accept me into their family and their home I would have nothing, I would have none of this and most importantly... I would not have you"

"You always wish to flatter Dastan" she said, as she moved to the window as well, looking out to the market, after a few moments in silence she whispered quietly, "I have never left the palace. It is forbidden to me to leave" she paused, "When I was younger I –"

She stopped and turned away from the window and Dastan, "We will forgo practice today Dastan"

He watched her walking away from him, and knew that if he did not stop her she would not open up to him, and she was opening up to him.

"Tamina"

She turned and looked at him.

"Goodnight"

"Goodnight Dastan"

Tamina had just finished walking out of her room, dressed in proper fighting attire she made her way to the courtyard when suddenly a hand shot out from behind a column. She could have screamed if the man had not covered her mouth with his hands.

She looked up and gave Dastan a questioning look, taking his hand away he whispered as he handed her a cloak.

"Put this on"

"Dastan, what is the meaning of – hmph!"

"Shhh" Dastan said with a serious look in his eyes, as his hand covered her mouth again, "Quickly, come on"

Taking her hand she was led down the steps towards the back of the castle, as a girl she used to come here to sneak food. She had taken a pet that no one had known about, a small bird that she nursed back to health, she later told Dastan this story as they sat far from the palace watching the lights of the city.

Dastan had led her down the steps, and they found their way to the markets. "Welcome to my home Tamina"

Walking through Dastan seemed to know the name of every vendor and merchant that had set up stall there. And he watched as her eyes watched children, merchants, woman and men and how they lived in a world so different from hers.

And a voice called out to Dastan, and he smiled at a vendor who sold the straw toys that Tamina had been given last night, "Horam"

"Dastan!" the man said, "Welcome back, would you like to buy some more?"

"None today, just looking around today" he said, glancing at Tamina he smiled, "This is the best toy maker in Alamut, Horam"

"Really? I am honoured" Tamina said with a smile.

"What a pretty lady! But it is a shame that you come here with a man like Dastan, you are much too good for the likes of him. But I on the other hand am still young and strong as well, leave him and marry me"

"Careful Horam, your wife might hear you" Dastan replied, but Horam did not seem to be concerned.

"The devil woman is one thing, this pretty lady before me is diamond among stones" Horam said, and then his wife called him a devil from inside the house, and he turned and shouted back at her.

Dastan whispered to Tamina, "Do not mind them, they are madly in love"

"Ignore this man, what is your name?" his wife asked as she walked outside, her belly swollen with child, "I am Fhatima"

"Tamina"

"A pretty name for a pretty lady"

"Nakho Horam" his wife snapped, "Join us for dinner, I insist"

"Yes, stay for dinner, and I shall swap you your pretty lady for this old witch" Horam said, which gained a laugh from the two newlyweds.

"I would not mind such a trade" the wife said, "At least the boy can still reach his toes... at least he can still _see_ his toes"

Tamina laughed as Fhatima poked Horam's large stomach, and then she smiled at Tamina again, "Come inside, leave the men to their toys"

Later they sat on the roof of Horams house as their seven other children played, after they had shared their full of food and enjoyed more of the older couples bickering.

"You have never been to the markets before" Dastan asked her, "Last night you wanted to tell me something, what happened?"

She looked down at her hands, "My mother had just died, and I did not wish to be a guardian anymore, I left the palace and ran here to the markets. But I was naive and foolish – some Persian merchants saw me, and as soon as they saw my gold they grabbed me, if the guards at the gates did not recognize me then I don't know what would have happened"

"That explains your hate of Persians" he said, "But why didn't you just leave when you were older, surely you would have opportunities"

"I only left when it concerned the dagger, the path I have to take to get to another secret guardian temple"

"Where the sacred dagger was first taken"

She looked over at him, surprised, "Tell me about that time Dastan"

"It was just a memory" he said, shaking his head, "Just a memory"

"Then tell me what you remember, what you care to"

He looked over at her and she looked up at him; the day had conspired against the two, there was no escape from this moment now, so Dastan surrendered himself and he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers and she did not pull away, already a prisoner herself.

She put her hand on his face as his lips moved against hers; the kiss was tender but long awaited.

"Ooooooh"

The sound and laughter of the children reminded the two of where they were, and blushing the two separated, looked at each other and started to laugh. "We should make our way back to the palace"

So the two said their goodbyes and Tamina was given a firm hug from Fhatima while Dastan was scolded by Horam.

"If you come to your senses and leave Dastan, I will wait for you and we will have many children!"

Tamina laughed and Dastan smiled at his friend.

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**Another long chapter, aren't they cute together? It's such a shame what I'm planning to do to them. Also a small note *nakho* what Fhatima says to Horam means 'stop it' in Farsi, I'm not too sure if I did the phonetic translation right. **

**And in Indian traditions it's meant to be one night (after the marriage) separate and then they sleep in the same room, but I reversed it because I had already written it up and it goes better with the flow of the story.**


	6. Chapter Five: My Punishment

**So I'm updating quickly today, I guess Im just in the mood. I hope you guys you like this chapter- tis a bit shorter than last but tell me what you guys think and why you guys like this story so far.**

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_Das Chandra_

Chapter Five: My Punishment

The days passed like a blur, and soon it was the seventh day apart, in the night they would be together again, as husband and wife.

But Tamina lay on the bed and looked up at the ceiling, stretching her hands out she saw the redness, marks and the scratches from training.

Training in battle to protect the dagger was an idea that had always been in her mind, since the last time the dagger had almost been taken. But the guardians had forbidden it, and she had never had the chance to learn.

But with Dastan, everything was different; he knew how much she wanted to protect it and how much it needed to be protected. She had been happy learning from him, because he understood…

Then there was that kiss.

She still blushed when she thought about it, and she put her hand on her lips. At the moment she tried not to think about it, only concentrating on getting home and worrying about being caught by the guardians.

Now, only days later, her mind had dwelled on the kiss.

She had tried to reason with herself that it was a spur of the moment thing, something that will never occur again if she could stop herself – but that was the detail, could she stop herself?

They had shared so much of themselves over the past days and they were already married and such, so it shouldn't be such a big deal. But Tamina had always been hard headed and independent, she didn't know if Dastan would continue like this, or if afterwards he would change.

"Princess Tamina"

She sat up on her bed and saw her servant enter the room, "The guardians wish for an audience with you"

This surprised the princess, as they had a meeting that morning, something must have happened for them to want to see her again.

Walking swiftly down the hallway, she worried at what could have happened, and she was so distracted she didn't see Dastan throwing the same curious look at her. He knew her schedule and the schedule of the guardians, so it was odd to see her walking towards the guardian temple in haste.

Leaving where he was getting fitted for his new Royal attire, he made his way up to the room that she had disappeared into; he leaned onto the door, and listened to the guardians and Tamina.

"I don't believe I understand"

"You were seen two days ago in the markets" one of them said, "You do know it is forbidden for you to leave the safety of the palace"

"With all due respect I am old enough to make my own decisions and –"

"No, I do not think you are wise enough to make your own decisions, the council has decided that for this disobedience you will be bound to the palace for one year, not even for the voyage to the holy shrine will you be allowed to leave and -"

"Dastan, what are you doing?"

"Sssh Bis, I'm trying to listen" Dastan said, but as he leaned back towards the door it opened and barely missed hitting his face, Tamina stormed passed him without even a glance or a knowledge that he was there.

"Dastan!"

But he ignored Bis and continued to run to Tamina, he slowed down to her pace as they walked back to her room, and then Dastan noticed that's he wasn't going to her room so they continued to walk.

He hadn't said a word yet.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No Dastan I do not wish to _talk about it_" she said, and then they made their way to the courtyard, picking up a stick Dastan only just realised what she had planned to do before she swung at him.

Ducking he managed to find his own stick, and began to block her strong and miscalculated attacks. She was angry and she had a stick in her hands, Dastan noted, in the future he should remember that both are a lethal combination.

But she was letting out the frustration of the meeting, she was angry at the guardians and she was angry at herself, she shouldn't be allowed to be feeling this way, especially towards the man that killed her soldiers.

When suddenly she stopped and her knees gave way, Dastan caught her just before she hit the ground as sobs took over her body but he held her as she managed to compose herself again.

"Let's go to your room" Dastan said, as he held her and walked back into the palace; she had never really been scolded or punished before, she had always been the best princess that Alamut had ever seen, she was completely devoted to her duties and just for one minor thing, she had been scolded like a child.

She felt useless and defenceless and completely unloved by everyone, didn't they know how much she went through, or would go through to protect the dagger and her people – she married the Prince of Persia for god's sake!

But that didn't mean a thing to them; they only saw the problems that she had caused, never the good.

Dastan took off her shoes as she sat on the bed, and as soon as he had done that she quickly lay on the bed and curled up into a ball under the sheets, a habit that she had ever since she had been caught outside the gates the first time, Dastan leaned over and covered her with the quilts, but she grabbed his wrist.

"Dastan, stay with me"

This surprised Dastan, because even though they had gotten closer over the past couple of days, she had always maintained a certain amount of distance from him; as if to see if he would continue to react in that way when she wasn't close to him.

Voluntarily his hand went to his waist, to unsheathe his sword but the he remembered that he was still wearing the ceremonial robes that he was being fitted for earlier, and he lay down next to her.

She looked up at him, and he saw tears in her eyelashes.

"Tell me what happened, in the other time"

Dastan looked at her, he had been wishing to never tell her, but she was frustrated and upset, he couldn't say no to her. So he began from the beginning; from beyond the moment that he had heard about Alamut's so-called treachery, he explained Koshkhan and his war efforts against Persia.

He was so transfixed with telling the story, he hadn't noticed how much closer Tamina had moved towards him, and her eyes were focused on his as he spoke. And then he had finished his story, omitting the part when they had kissed.

"It is strange to know things and to have seen things that will never happen" he said, "I apologize, I do not mean to burden this on you"

"It is nice to have something else to think about" she said, "I am bound to this palace for a year, I cannot complete the annual pilgrimage to the secret temple site, which it seems you already know of"

Dastan nodded, "Where my brother died"

"Do these memories torment you?"

"Sometimes they do, and I wake up in the night and wonder if this is the dream and the other is reality, but then I remember how different it all was"

"Different?"

"You were different, you were different to me" he said, "You hated me, thought I was arrogant, egoistic and foolish"

"And how am I different?" she asked, a small smile on her face "I may still think these things of you"

"No, you cannot, because these past 2 months that we have been together, our romance has been tried and tested- and yet you still remained and married me"

"Who said this was a romance Dastan?"

But he smiled and closed the distance between them, kissing her on the lips, gently almost like a whisper to her.

"It's a love story Tamina, just like the ones you were told as a child"

"You are hardly a prince charming" she said, as she put her hand on his face and pulled him in for another kiss. But this time it was stronger and a bit more intense than Dastan had anticipated.

Time did not seem to move as the two kissed deeper and more passionately, and soon the need for more was apparent. As each moment, each look, each touch and each breath that they shared and had made up the last two months had finally crashed onto the two.

It was on the dawn of the eighth day that husband and wife had finally come together, and as Tamina lay on top of Dastan; in some pain but mostly in happiness she whispered so quietly that Dastan's thought that perhaps his mind had conjured it up in his own contentment.

"Did you hear me Dastan?"

He smiled and rested his head in the crook of her neck, feeling the warm air of her breath hitting the side of his face and neck, "I love you too Tamina"

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**Okay, so they've finally done it, and said it. I'm sorry if Tamina came off as a bit ooc in this chapter, but in my defence, she has been holding him off for two months and she was already in love with him for a while she's just been refusing to admit it because … well, it's Tamina. **


	7. Chapter Six: Your Bad News

**Thank you all so much for the reviews so far, I'm so glad that you're like it enough to even send some reviews in. So thank you so much for the support and on with the story... also, don't forget to vote on my profile poll for my new story 'Closer to the Edge'. **

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_Das Chandra_

Chapter Six: Your bad news

Bis waited for Dastan to return that night, but the Prince did not return, it was only in the morning that he came walking down the hall, a spring in his step and a wide grin on his face.

"Morning Bis"

"Dastan…" Bis said, in a grim tone, "We have news from Nasef"

Dastan did not see the look on Bis' face or the tone in his voice, "What is it Bis? Nothing can ruin today for me"

"Dastan, it's… it's your father, he's dead"

Dastan walked happily to the window, but with every step his smile was fading until he stood at the window with a look of grief and sorrow.

"I'm sorry Dastan" Bis said, as he placed a parchment on the bed, "Your brother sent word yesterday, but I was unable to find you"

Dastan's mind was numb; _he had been with Tamina when his father died… he had been having relations when his father was dying. _

The door opened and Tamina walked in, looking at Bis and then at Dastan. The look on her face showed that she now heard about the news about King Sharaman's death.

"I'll leave you two" Bis said as he left, Tamina did not speak until he had left.

"Dastan, I just heard-"

"They sent word yesterday Tamina!" Dastan said angrily at her, "Yesterday!"

She looked at him, confused, "Why are you angry at me?"

"It is your fault! If you hadn't made such a big deal about some stupid ban of leaving the city then this wouldn't have happened"

Tamina's eyes hardened, "Your father's death is not my fault Dastan"

"But if you and I hadn't-"

"Dastan, do not forget that it was you who accosted your uncle in front of the entire Persian army after you invaded the city, isn't that why your father was sick? Because your uncle died for his own selfish greed"

He glared at her, "It was your stupid dagger"

"It was your uncle who caused this!"

"Just because you know what happened in the other time, does not mean that this changes what this really is about" he said, "Your faith in that dagger means you are blind to the dangers of the world, and of its mistakes"

"Persians" she spat at him, "You faith has little love for any truth, other than your own"

"Faith?" he asked, stepping towards her, "I had faith that you would love me, but you only use me – I hear the servants and the guardians talking Princess, you only wish for an heir to protect the dagger"

"Well then you should be relieved to know that I am not with child, and nor will I be as you and I will no longer share a bed"

"Nor would I want to" he replied back, "You only bring death, in this life and the other"

She glared at him and felt her ears tingle, tears were forming and she turned away from him and began to walk to the door, "Go to Nasef Prince, say goodbye to your father"

Glaring at the door after she left he let out an angry yell, and hit a candle holder that stood by the window, it fell with a loud crash and rolled near to his bed.

Putting his hand to his face all he could think about was that everything was repeating again, his father was dead and he hadn't been there, but it wasn't like last time. He hadn't been murdered, he had been sick, and Dastan hadn't run away, he had been with Tamina.

He shook his head again, he loved Tamina, but without his father he was nothing – he was a street rat again. He knew that he shouldn't have gotten mad at her, it wasn't her fault, and he had been upset.

But he knew that she had spoken the truth when she said that they wouldn't be together again, she kept her word.

He picked up the parchment from the bed, and looked at it, his brother script told him of his father's death. He would have to go to Avrat to pay tribute, and he did not know if Tamina would go with him – she was forbidden to leave the palace.

Tamina walked into the guardian's chambers and exhaled deeply, "The Persian king Sharaman is dead"

They all nodded.

"I will go to his funeral, whether this restriction imposed upon my yesterday permits me or not"

There was a lot of chatter and debate, "You cannot go, you may not leave the palace"

"This will look bad on our allies, allow her to go"

"A princess must adhere to our rules, she cannot leave the palace!"

"Guardians, you are forgetting that I am no longer a princess, but a Queen of Alamut, and my husband is the King of Alamut but remains a Prince of Persia" she declared loudly, "The King of Persia is dead, and whether you like it or not that means that I MUST go and pay tribute to him, allies will not look see my absence of my husband's father's death as a positive"

The guardians remained silent.

"I am Queen of Alamut, and you will adhere to my rules now" she said, a glint in her eye, "I will go to Avrat"

The guardians looked at each other, and nodded, seeing that Tamina would not change her mind about this and that they would not challenge her in this state. She had changed in the months with Dastan, her attitude and demeanour to her duties as Princess and protector had changed.

"You will be permitted to go to Avrat" the guardians agreed, "But you must go in the palanquin"

Tamina nodded, even though she hated the palanquin (it made her sick from the motion of the men holding it), she had to compromise.

Walking out of the room she made her way back to hers, she stood against the door and looked at the bed. It no longer looked dishevelled as they had left it last night – last night. Sinking down against the door she let out a shaky breath, last night had changed everything about their relationship. Tamina's body still felt sore and she was in a small amount of pain with every step she took.

But last night- she had loved him.

Now, after the fight she knew that she couldn't back down on her word now, she wouldn't let him in her bed again, not after he blamed her with the death of his father.

Why did Persians have to be so hard headed and stubborn?

The day passed and not a word or even a glance was passed between the wedded couple as the preparations were quickly made for their departure.

Stepping into the palanquin she could feel herself becoming sick already, even with the modification of the horses carrying her she had never enjoyed the movement. However she was only thinking of these facts to ignore the fact that Dastan would not be by her side inside the palanquin.

As a prince of Persia he was to be in the lead of the procession, and when he met with his brothers and father in Avrat, she would not see him at all.

"Other delegates will be joining us once we reach the main route to Avrat" Asoka said as he mounted next to her, "The journey seems clear for us to reach it in a day or two"

"That is very good news" she said, as the horse began to move forward, and she risked one last glance at Dastan who refused to look at her before closing the doors.

But as the procession began he did look at the palanquin, and he let out a deep sigh as he knew that Tamina was inside, refusing to speak to him and refusing to even look at him. He would not see her again for a few days, after the funeral was over. But it made no difference; he believed her heart had frozen to him.

The first day passed and they soon met with the other delegates, Dastan moved his horse back to where Tamina's palanquin stood, and Asoka glared at him before moving aside so he could speak to Tamina.

"Queen Tamina" Dastan said, with a deep sigh as he used the name, "The Persian guard will be moving ahead to meet the rest of the Persian family, we will leave you here, I will leave you here"

Tamina sat in the palanquin, her mind was spinning with sickness but she had heard him say those words and a tear fell from her cheek. She opened the door, but Dastan had already left her side and was riding away into the sand.

Sitting back she let out another strangled sob, would it be like this for the rest of their lives?

Suddenly the palanquin jolted, her hands went to the sides and she heard Asoka's voice through the door, "Queen Tamina, it seems that a sandstorm is making its way across the path very quickly, we will have to stop"

"Yes" she said, but the horse neighed loudly and started to move violently, "What is happening?"

Then she heard them; swords were clashing and battering against the palanquin, men were shouting and women were screaming, and she heard the horse move frantically, frightened at the sudden noise.

Opening the door she only saw a wall of sand coming towards her before the horse jumped and nearly cause the palanquin to topple over, but this caused Tamina to be thrown back inside and hitting her head against the ornate gold walls.

"Prince Dastan!"

He turned back as the storm drew alarmingly quickly towards them; he heard the voice over the bustle and saw the line of delegates being attacked by bandits. But his mind was only concerned with one person… Tamina.

Riding through the sand that pelted down on them, he made it to where Asoka stood his sword out, "Where is Tamina? Where is the palanquin?"

The world seemed to have lost its mind for a moment, in the rage and panic of the battle, sight of the palanquin had been lost, its only occupant the high Priestess and Queen of Alamut had in a blink of a moment, disappeared.

"I… I don't know" Asoka said, looking around and realizing it was gone, he looked at Dastan horrified, "It's gone"

This was the moment that forever defined Dastan's life from then on, the moment that the Gods broke his heart and tore it out of his chest.

It was the moment when he knew that he would never see her again.

"She's gone"

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**Okay, so this isnt the end of the story - just wait and keep reading future chapters, because there is more to come. *evil grin***


	8. Part Two

_Das Chandra_

Part Two

Where will I find again my lost innocence?

My lost dreams, my lost childhood

Where is gone the shade of trees?

Where I made myself at home

Where is the face that I search for on the streets?

Where is the one that I wait for every night?

This is the part where love is tried.

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**Okay, so part two will start soon (hopefully) chapters will be done as chapter one, chapter two etc as it's different.**

**It's going to be more tragic as you probably know by now.**


	9. Chapter One: My Name

**Yay, an update. I know I've not written as fast as I would have liked, and I'm so glad you liked the last chapters so far. To _Unkonow_ (who left a comment) calm yourself, this isn't the end of the story.**

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_Das Chandra_

Chapter One

The wind howled like a million wolves, as he made his way into the desert. His cloak billowed around him as he kept on turning; everywhere looked the same, a blanket of red and orange- deadly and unhelpful in his quest.

He could hear her shouting over the storming winds; he could hear her but he couldn't see her. The was too much sand for him to even see where he was going, his feet slipped into the sand and his face stung as the wind lashed against his skin.

He called out to her, trying to find where she was, but in the midst of it all, there was nothing that he could do… he couldn't find her, he couldn't save her.

Falling to the ground, tears embedded into his face as he sobbed into the sand, as his body was lashed with the guilt and the grief of never finding her.

He had lost her; he had lost her again…

Cadis woke up suddenly, his body slicked with sweat; he sighed and fell back onto the bed. He lay for a moment relieved; it was just a dream… just a dream.

He sighed heavily as he tried to remember where he was, the camp in Phrygia, they were heading to Greece to travel to the new world. It was a brief detour that they had to make, he would have avoided it and continued to travel through the night, he couldn't afford to be caught napping at this time in his life.

Opening the curtain to his tent he walked to the other side of the camp, the rest of the men were still sleeping but the fire continued to burn. As he reached the largest tent, he peered inside.

"Eloubrou?"

The woman looked at him, and nodded so that he could enter, his eyes turned to the woman lying on the bed.

"How is she?"

"She still has a high fever and a nasty knock to the head" Eloubrou said, as she lay a cloth on the woman's head, "Where did you find her again?"

"She was lying in the desert" he said, sitting next to her, as he ran his hand across his face, trying to rid himself of the remnants of sleep, "They just left her there"

"Cadis?"

"What?"

"There is something you are keeping from me"

Cadis looked at her and shook his head, "It is nothing, just a dream…"

"I can make you something for it, before I leave"

"No, sister, I am fine. What should we do with her?" he asked looking at the woman lying on the bed, "Will you take her?"

"I head for Persia, and although the medicines are strong, it looks like the desert does not agree with her. Besides, the storms this season are rough, and just me alone to take care of her – it would be the biggest mistake"

"I will send some men to leave her in Avrat" he said, nodding his head, "That is the best solution, if she was found in the desert she is most likely Persian and the Greeks would not accept her- even if she is beautiful"

"Look at her Cadis, as you say she is beautiful but do you not think that she will be sold into slavery or worse in Avrat?"

"Do you expect me to take her on with me?"

"I expect you to know what to do" she said, giving her brother a stern look, and he looked away from her intense stare, "You have taken care of these men for a long time, surely a woman will not be a problem"

"It is bad luck to have a woman travel with us" he murmured, but he knew that she would win, because no one ever won against her.

"Your luck cannot get any worse, the warlord Kosh has a warrant for your arrest, you cannot return home" she said as they both sat and watched her whimpering slightly in her sleep, Eloubrou looked at the bucket next to her, "I will go get water, sit with her. When she wakes up she will be in a bit of pain and confusion"

"But-"

"Brother, do try and think of someone other than yourself for once"

Cadis nodded at his sisters words; she always had a way of silencing any protests that he had. She had always been able to do it, ever since they were younger, but she could do it with any of the men. That's why she didn't participate in any travels that they did, because the men were scared of her ability to tell when they were lying, and they wanted her to like them.

He sat back on the seat and sighed, he was tired, but he could never manage to sleep for more than an hour before his dreams would wake him up. He ran his hand across his face and sighed, the memories that haunt him…

He heard her let out a shallow and raspy breath, and he looked up to see her stirring. Her eyelids flickered as she woke up. There was panic in her eyes as she did not recognise where she was, and she tried to get up from where she lay.

He put his hand on her shoulder, "Stay still, your body has been under a lot of stress, you must rest"

"Who are you?" she asked, as she moved away from him, "Where am I?"

"Calm down, I am not here to hurt you" he said, "My sister is a healer, she can help you, she's been helping you and tending to your wounds"

"What have you done to me? What is this place?"

He knew that she must be paranoid; it's not every day that you wake up in a foreign place with no knowledge of how you got there. He understood where she was coming from, so he held up his hands in a sign of peace and calmness.

"You have a wound to your head" he explained to her, "You were found in the desert, you have not woken for four days, we have travelled to get you here where my sister is stationed. We are at a camp near Phrygia. Do you remember your name?"

She looked around at the tent, the various objects that lay around the room; she put her hand to where her injury was and winced.

"Like I said, you have a wound to your head" he said, and then he tried to look her in the eyes, "My name is Cadis, my sister's name is Eloubrou, what is your name?"

Memories flashed into her mind, there was a sandstorm, a battle, fighting and a man that she could not remember- he had called her name and she tried to call for him as well, to help her… to save her.

Cadis looked at her, as she continued to look around the tent, in confusion and despair, he cleared his throat again, "What is your name?"

She looked at him, her eyes wide with the knowledge and realisation of what she was about to say, she shook her head.

"I... I don't know" she whispered, "I don't remember"

* * *

**Drama, drama, drama. Yes, I am a bit cruel, but there is plenty more to come so look forward to that. :D And sorry about the length of this chapter, this is the shortest chapter I've posted on this story (besides the poems, for obvious reasons) I shall try and make the next ones a bit lengthier.**


	10. Chapter Two: Somewhere With You

_Das Chandra_

Chapter Two: Somewhere with You

Dastan had not been himself these few days; he woke before dawn and rode out into the desert before returning and awaiting news, any news, about Tamina.

"You must help me"

"Brother, it is a difficult time for you, I understand that, but because of father's death the entire empire has been in disarray, the Warlord Kosh has decided that it would be the best time to attack now" Tus said, "While we are weak"

"I can send some men to search the citi-"

"We need more than 'some'" Dastan exclaimed, "I need my men"

"We cannot afford to-"

"We are losing time!" Dastan shouted at his brothers, his fury and anger something that would suit Garsivs manner, and something that was foreign and frightening on the youngest Princes face.

"Dastan calm yourself"

But the youngest brother glared and let out an angry yell before leaving the hallway, the two other princes looked at Bis.

"Find him, calm him down"

He nodded and went after Dastan, he found him in the stables saddling his horse.

"Dastan, where are you going?"

"If none of you are to help me, than I shall go and find her myself"

Bis had known Dastan since they were boys in the streets, when Dastan put his mind on something he wouldn't stop until he got it, until he achieved whatever extreme he went for, it was always the same. Dastan had saved Bis' life, and he was indebted to him, despite him being a servant for the Persian princes, Dastan was his friend first.

"Move" Bis said, and Dastan saw Bis put a bag on the back of his horse Dastan opened it and found food.

He looked at Bis, who was saddling his own horse.

"Thank you"

"Well staying here isn't going to help you find her" he said, "We will find her"

He didn't add 'dead or alive' to it, because Dastan's mind didn't allow for there to be her death in his mind.

They escaped the city in secret, they knew that once their departure was known to the Princes that there would be someone who would pay for their defiance, but that was afterwards…

After he found Tamina.

Dastan remembered the moment when he realised that he wouldn't find her, it was after the battle was over and after the sand had settled.

He looked across the dunes and the horizon reflected the sun and it's smooth surface, every track that he could have used to find her had disappeared, and he couldn't stay. As a Prince of Persia he had to look after the other dignitaries who had been attacked.

His position told him to stay, but his heart told him to run and look for her.

"Dastan, we need your help"

He was ashamed, he was ashamed to say that he turned away from the endless desert and helped the wounded… he had turned his back on her, and it had been too late for him.

They had found the carriage 3 days later, they would have missed it if he hadn't been looking for it. Buried in the sand the corner glimmered in the blazing heat.

"Dastan, let's get out of here, we must find shade"

But he was no longer by their side; Dastan was far from them, digging in the sand, furiously and like a mad dog. The sand burned his skin and the sun burned everything else, but he continued to dig until his hands bled, trying to free the carriage.

The others went to help him and to drag him away but he was undeterred. For hours he remained until they got to the carriage door, opening it, sand poured out and he continue to dig, until skin peeled off of his hands and his blood was devoured by the thirsty sand.

"Dastan" Bis had told him gently as the moon rose high above them, "There is nothing there"

But he would not believe what the others told him, in fatigue and in desperation he collapsed onto the sand, grabbing handfuls and ignoring the stinging pain it brought to his raw, bloody hands.

Nothing was worse than the pain he felt in his heart.

They had set up the camp nearby, but in the middle of the night Dastan rose from his bed, unable to sleep, unable to eat, unable to do anything as his thoughts were consumed with Tamina.

In the morning the men found the carriage completely dug out, the inside was clean of any sand, it stood there as if it had appeared only recently, and not after a man dug it out with his hands.

The horse remained, dead, its carcass foul smell filled the air as flesh and meat fell from the bones. It's tongue out of its head, and it's eyes looking at the men hauntingly, and then they had seen Dastan.

They shared the same haunted eyes, of someone who had suffered more than he should in his life, someone that the Gods must hate for him to suffer so much… why do the Gods hate me?

He asked Bis this when they rode back to Nasef, Dastan's whole body was failing him from lack of sleep and food, he didn't even have enough energy to hold onto Bis as he rode towards Nasef, it was near midnight when they reached the high city walls.

"Tomorrow is another day Dastan" he had told him, trying to cheer him up, "Do you remember what you told me when my mother disappeared, you look to the sky and so will she… she will know you look for her. That's why the Gods put them up there for"

"The Gods despise me for what I have seen, the stars do not shine for me" Dastan muttered darkly, "I will look at the sky, but the stars will refuse to speak to me"

He had rested for only an hour or two, only to let his body rest enough for him to wake and find his brothers, demanding for help.

Now, as they both rode across the desert Dastan felt the wind at his back, as if the Gods had heard his complaints, they led him across the desert, and he felt nor the sun on his face nor the sand under his horses feet.

It had been 8 days since she had disappeared, and a month since they had wed.

But he could not celebrate or feel happy with this time, it passed too quickly for him, and each day that passed was one more day that she was not with him.

He slept; broken dreams where she was falling down the cavern were now seeping into the day. Dastan saw her in the sand, running away from the men at the Valley of the Slaves, on the other side of the sand dune he saw her sleeping, and near that body of water he saw her filling a canteen.

But when he rode towards her, whispering her name she would disappear, and the sands stole her whispered name away from him.

The desert that once was his home and his ally was now his enemy and the sun who gave him light and sight, only continued to stab him in the back.

But he would continue, he had to find her…

And so began the 10th day.

**It is cruel, I know, but this is true loves real face. Leave a comment, tell me how it's going so far.**


	11. Chapter Three: The Journey

_Das Chandra_

Chapter Three: The Journey

She lay in her bed, and in her dreams she was once again in a room that seemed so familiar to her. Walking to the balcony she looked out onto the endless horizon, a city stood, and she was above it all.

Like gold, it was breathtaking and she felt calm and at piece with where she was, as if she belonged there. Suddenly there were two hands on her waist, but she did not shake them off, they weren't there to hurt her.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" he whispered and she smiled.

The voice was so deep and husky against her neck as he kissed her lovingly; his smell was a mixture like sand, old wood and parchments- even though she knew he hated scripture. His skin, his hands were rough and calloused but she delighted in his touch.

She did not see his face, but she knew that his eyes were like the sky at the dawn of a day, they were caring and they looked at her with a love that was undeniable and true.

The floor rattled underneath their feet, and she turned around as a stone hit the sand, panic rose in her – nothing must touch the sand. He looked at her, a ghost of a figure as the floor crumbled beneath his feet, she ran to the other side, following the path on the floor, looking back she did not see him.

Sand fell around her, and she feared the sandstorm in that tent, but someone put her hand on hers and she felt safe. She did not feel the harsh lashes of sand hitting her skin, only the warmth of his hand.

His hand grabbed her, and she pleaded to let her go. She was scared of dying, scared of falling, but the thing that scared her most was losing him.

"I wish we had more time"

She wanted to call out, to scream, to cry as she fell.

But she did not know his name.

Cadis watched her as she slept, as he had for the past two months since they had been at sea. Each day, she grew in his eyes, and he felt something in his heart that he knew would belong to no one but her.

He drew these thoughts away, and left the room, leaving her to her dreams, her memories.

Looking across the sea he knew that the Gods were watching over them, because the sea was never calm when they crossed, it was a brutal world of water and salt, wind and the cold that attacked them.

But not in this crossing.

The sea lay calm before them, and rocked the boat gently as if cradling a child to sleep. He knew it was her; it had to be her, the reason that they had found fortune in this journey. She had appeared out of nowhere like a dream, and the Gods looked kindly to her.

They had named her, Shahzadeh.

It meant Princess.

And they treated her as such, well as much as they could, she was loved by all the men, and even Chahar, who was the largest man on the ship, took care of her as if she was his own mother. He giant hand that would break a man's skull without any force, would grab coconuts from trees, and he would break them and only let her drink the water inside.

They had spent only a week at sea, but she had been sick on ever day of the journey. The men would stay with her, taking turns to make sure she had enough water, enough food, enough quilts and she never felt alone.

When they reached Gaul, they had protected her from the Gypsies that tried to entrance her to come with them; they called her a Lady of the Gods.

And then there was him, he tried not to think of how much she reminded him of someone else that he had known. Someone that he had lost in the desert, in a sandstorm, it ruined the world and tore down his life. And then she had come out of the desert, he had found her and knew that destiny was finding a way to make things right.

Suddenly there were running footsteps and he waited briefly as he heard her empty her stomach over the edge of the ship.

"Did you sleep well, Shahzadeh?"

She looked at him, and he felt the pang in his heart and his stomach. She took water from the barrel and drank it slowly, "the sea does not agree with me"

"It is difficult for those who are born and bred on land to get used to the movement of the ship"

"You are used to it"

"I was born on the sea, it runs in my blood"

She stood next to him, as the ship made its way slowly through the water, his eyes reflected the sea and for an instant she reminded of another man's eyes, the man from her dreams.

"You are running from the warlord Kosh?" she asked, "The men have been talking, but they do not tell me why"

"It is a complicated matter, I um… I was a warrior for his army, and he asked me to do such horrible things, faces of those that I killed haunt my dreams" his eyes searched the sky, it was littered with stars and he searched amongst them, "The Gods make me look for them in a sandstorm, but I can never find them"

She looked up at the stars, and then put her hand on top of his, "The Gods have a plan for all of us"

Cadis looked at her; her eyes, her face and her lips- the face of an angel, a gift from the Gods.

He then looked away from her as the ship suddenly jolted, it was wrong, so he refused to look at her again as he took his hand away from hers. She stood next to him confused and looked at him, clearly, and through his eyes she saw guilt and something else, something she had seen since the day she had woken up, a secret that he had been keeping.

"You are unwell, you should be resting downstairs"

But she had been suspicious of him, "It is more than just the movement of the ship, isn't it?"

He looked across the ocean; the city of Sparta lay ahead of them, they would soon be on land and he knew that he would soon have no choice but to tell her. It had burned inside his mind for all this time, it was a secret that he wished he did not have to tell her, but he knew that he must, it would be unfair to her if he didn't. So he slowly nodded his head.

"We found you, in the desert, you have no memories except for those in your dreams, dreams you do not remember once you have woken" he said to her, knowing that she dreamt of memories because she smiled in her sleep, of someone that she loved.

His hands gripped the railing of the boat.

"My sister took care of you while you lay unmoving for four days, it was on the fifth day, when she left that she told me"

He looked at her, and Tamina felt her heart quicken. What would he reveal to her that he would keep it a secret from her? Something that made him scared.

Taking her hands he placed something inside them, she opened them and found herself looking at a small straw doll.

"You are with child"

**Oh crap, writers block.**


	12. Chapter Four: New Responsibilities

_Das Chandra_

Chapter Four: New Responsibilities

Dastan was no longer haunted by dreams; they no longer seeped into the days and plagued him, he no longer saw Tamina walking down the hallways of Alamut, nor did he see her in the courtyard, where they used to fight. And every day that he realised that he saw her less, would make him feel guilt and burdened more so than usual.

There was a moment, only brief, when he saw her standing by the balcony. In clothes that were strange to see her in, and an image of himself stood beside her looking across the city of Alamut.

But it had only been a dream, a dream within a dream, as Dastan had woken to find himself alone in his room.

He had to return to the city after he searched for her to no avail, from the steps of China to the shore of the Mediterranean he had searched for her, but there were no words to describe her, no images and so none knew whom he spoke of.

Returning to Alamut meant a new burden of ideas and laws, the guardians had gone ahead and decided to run the city themselves, and the power that they had only debated over was now theirs. But Dastan was now the King of Alamut, so when he returned to the city, the time of borrowed power was over.

"Something occurred during the invasion" Dastan had told them, "You hide a fabled item here, beneath the city. Tell me of the dagger, teach me what I should do and how I should rule your city"

They had been taken aback by his force, and they could not find courage enough to say 'no' to him, he was after all a Persian prince who was now their King. Tamina might have to obey their rules as a Priestess and a woman, but Dastan did not.

So Dastan learned their beliefs and even though he hated the lessons and scriptures, he sat and he listened to ever word they said. Because with each word and lesson, he was getting closer to Tamina's mind, he knew what she knew, and he knew that she would want him to lead her city to a time of prosperity.

It was then that he heard the news.

"There is a ship that has landed in Sparta; the men say that they have a woman with them from Gaul"

He imagined Gaul, so far away from their borders, and shook his head, "No, it cannot be her"

He had lost hope these past months when he had chased after ghosts and rumours, the Gods were playing with him, they did not care for his cause anymore.

His brothers would visit him, but they're visits were brief; they knew that Dastan was taking the responsibility seriously. They had not known him to be a leader, but they saw him as such, and they knew that it was Tamina's disappearance that had caused the change to occur.

But it was more than that.

He had seen a child in the market, one day, he had been stealing food and they were about to cut his hands off for it. But he stopped it and payed for the food that had been stolen, and he knew now that there were still people that needed help in Alamut.

He had to do what Tamina didn't have the power to do; he had to take care of Alamut until she came back. Because he knew that she was coming back, he knew that one day she would return and smile at him, throw him an insult and he would be angry, but his anger would disappear when she kissed him and said she was sorry.

"Dastan, you must face the facts, that maybe she is really gone"

"No Bis" Dastan had said, with more force than he had intended, "I don't feel it; I would be able to feel it wouldn't I?"

"You barely knew her Dastan"

He lost himself then, and threw Bis out of the room, yelling and cursing his existence. But Bis knew that this was only temporary, because Dastan had not been himself, his moods would alter from moderately bearable to a mood that would rival Garsiv on his worst days.

But to Dastan, every day was worse than the next, until one day, he allowed himself to laugh.

Laugh.

Bis had fallen over a goat, and for some reason Dastan could not help the deep bubbling in his throat and it exploded into laughter, his face broke and he laughed. For a moment Bis had his friend again, but in an instant Dastan had gotten up and walked away, his laughter following him.

The laughter was something that he had not done since the fight with Tamina, he had laughed gently when he had lain with her as she smiled and traced the scars on his face, listening to how he got each one of them. He had felt complete and whole as a person in that moment, he had found the match of his life and the companion of his soul in her eyes, in her laugh and in her body.

He shared with her more than he had shared with anybody, and no one could have taken that moment away from him, and then he laughed…

When Bis found him later, the laughter had stopped. The marble pillar that Dastan leaned against was cracked and covered in blood, and Dastan's wounds had reopened. He leaned against the pillar as Dastan held his head; in horror at what he had just done. Ashamed at the humanity and normalcy he had allowed himself to have in that moment.

"How can I laugh?" he said as Bis put his hands on his shoulders, "How can I laugh when she remains out there."

You tread carefully around Dastan, nothing could be said to calm him, and no one could speak to him without him being angered.

"You must laugh" Bis had said, "When she comes back, she wouldn't like to find her husband has turned into stone."

It had settled him for the moment, but Bis knew that this too was only temporary.

"Send men to Sparta, find the woman that you spoke of the other day, find her and the men that travelled with her"

It was dark when Dastan climbed the spires to the top of the Alamutian castle, he sat there and looked over the landscape and prayed. Dastan was never one for prayers, he found them tedious and to be only for holy men and not him. But tonight, under the eyes of the Gods and all their stars he prayed.

"Bring her back to me"

* * *

**Okay, so I'm VERY anxious about a dentist appointment (terrified actually), so I wrote this in a state of fear and frenzy. **


	13. Chapter Five: My Travels

_Das Chandra_

Chapter Five: My Travels

The stars seemed brighter to her, they seemed to call out to her as she travelled, and now as she laid on the ground her hand massaging her stomach, she wondered what they were telling her.

Maybe they spelled out the name of her love, the father of her child.

"Shahzadeh?" She looked over at Cadis who had a bowl of food, "I know it's not exactly a lot, but it's all that we have left until we reach the valley of the slaves"

"Are you sure that it's safe?" she asked.

"It's not filled with murderous cutthroats as everyone believes" Cadis said, "I know the man in charge-"

"Sheik Amar" Tamina finished she then laughed and shook her head, "I don't know how I know that name"

"Perhaps your memory is coming back to you" Cadis said, and she looked up at him, there was something about his eyes, they were so kind to her.

But he looked away.

"Eat and then rest, we will set off at dawn"

She watched as he walked away, looking at the food in her hand she did not feel hungry but knew that the others would get angry at her if she didn't, she had become a sister to all of them, and each of them felt responsible for her and her child.

It was a full moon, and she looked up at the sky thinking of man that she had only seen in her dreams and the child in her belly, that would be his.

Whoever he was.

Das…

Her eyes furrowed with confusion as she heard the name in her head.

Dasta…

The baby jolted in her stomach, and she suppressed a gasp, knowing that the others would worry if they heard her. During their time on the ship, no one had noticed the odd sickness that she had been showing; they just thought that she was terribly sea sick. She did not even notice that her blood had stopped, or the swelling of her stomach.

Except for Cadis, who noticed everything…

She wondered why he hid this from her, would he think that she would panic and accuse one of them as the father, that they had attacked her.

Walking to his side of the camp she sat down next to him, he looked at her, "You shouldn't stand too close to the smoke"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just did-"

"You know what I mean"

He sighed and he poked the flames again, not saying anything for a while, "Your child cannot be born here Shahzadeh"

She looked at him, "What?"

"The desert is a cruel and unforgiving place to have a child" he told her, "Many mothers die in childbirth, or their children die in their arms… I had hoped that my sister had been mistaken or that you would remember who you are to take you back to your home"

She touched her stomach, "You think it will happen to me?"

"My mother died in childbirth, my youngest sister died as well, my wife-"

There was a pause, and Tamina looked at him, speaking gently.

"You were married?" she asked, and he nodded smiling slightly, "What was her name?"

"Farah" Cadis said, "Her name was Farah"

They didn't speak any more for the rest of the night, and Tamina returned to her tent, as she lay on the ground she dreamt.

She lay over a horse as she looked at the man who walked beside it; he had a large smirk on his face as he spoke to her, but she couldn't hear anything he was saying, suddenly she heard herself speaking.

"_How taken you were with my fainting act, eagerly leaping to assist the fallen beauty"_

"_Who said you were a beauty?" he said, laughing looking at her, and she saw the lie in his eyes as he said this._

"_There must be a reason why you can't take your eyes off me"_

"_You're... I... I don't trust you" _

She couldn't help but smile as he looked at her, and she looked at him. There was a scar on the side of his face; he had told her how he had gotten it, fighting with his brother, fighting with Gar-

"Shahzadeh, we must go" she looked around and saw Chahar looking at her with a concerned look in his eyes, she nodded.

"I was dreaming" she explained, as he helped her off the sand.

They rode towards the large stone walls, that stood crumbling in the desert sun, Cadis held up his hand.

"Welcome to the valley of the slaves your highness"

She suddenly looked over at Cadis, "What did you just say?"

"This is the valley of the slaves, Shahzadeh" Cadis said, and she turned back to the walls as they entered, there was a skeleton on the ground.

_She saw the man running towards her, he was calling her name and then he kneeled next to where she lay. "Can you hear me?"_

"_Agh!" she said, as she struck him on the side of the head with a bone, he groaned and fell to the side and she grabbed the dagger from his belt and held it near his throat, with a smile she added, "Yes –"_

"Shahzadeh!"

The men ran to grab her as she fell off the horse, Chahar held her like she was a doll and she put her hand to her head.

"I'm…"

"She's had too much sun" Cadis said, "Hurry go and find Sheik Amar, we must find shelter and water"

"…_are famed for their clean, cold water" she said, as she watched herself walk through the entrance of the Valley of the Slaves. _

"_Maybe if you spent less time admiring your wells and more time guarding your walls you wouldn't be in this situation" he said as he walked away from her. _

"Shahzadeh, please you must stay awake" Cadis said, as he poured water into her mouth, she spluttered but drank it.

"_I'm desperate for a drop of water"_

"_Well that's more than we have since you emptied the canteen hours ago"_

"What is this?" a harsh voice asked, as they walked towards the entrance, she still lay in Chahar's arms.

"My sister, she is with child and the sun has gotten to her, please we need protection" Cadis said, pointing to her, she looked at the dishevelled man- he seemed so familiar, even his smell, the smell of ostriches and dirt- it was like she had been here before.

"With child, you say?" Sheik said, and then he waved his hand at the large black man behind him, "I think we can arrange something"

_She closed her eyes and she was stumbling through a crowd of men, wearing ostrich feathers and carrying a tray of goat's milk. _

"_Don't you drop anything, you pay for that it comes out of your wages, no don't look at me like that you know what I'm talking about"_

When she opened her eyes again she was in a room, it was dark and cool and Cadis sat next to her.

"Drink this, it is-"

"Goats milk" she said, as she looked at it with distaste, but she drank it anyway.

"The healers have advised that you do not travel for a month or so"

"Will I still be able to see your sister?"

He nodded, "My sister remains in Nasef for the meantime, she is a great healer, I will send word for her that we are on our way, as soon as you are well enough to travel again"

She looked at him, "I keep remembering, there's so much to remember"

"Don't over stress yourself, you are with child and you shouldn't put so much pressure on yourself"

She nodded, "Thank you Cadis, and thank Sheik Amar and Seso for me… I never got the chance to say it before"

Cadis watched as she closed her eyes again, and he looked at her curiously. They had never told her that Sheik Amar's warrior's name was Seso.


	14. Chapter Six: Murder!

**Sorry for the wait**

* * *

_Das Chandra_

Chapter Six: Murder!

Dastan rode down the road, his horse remained calm as the marketers were setting up their stalls and celebrations for the arrival of his brothers, and he nodded at Horam who stood next to his wife and new born child.

Child...

His eyes fell back into darkness; Tamina should be here with me...

Bis had done all he could before, with the woman from Gaul, but it had been too late, they had moved on and they had told him that they had gone to Rome, but they had lied.

That was the last time that Dastan searched for her.

It was too much for his heart to handle.

He did not smile when he saw his brothers enter the palace; they knew what he was going through, what he had been going through these past months, and how they had not helped him.

"Dastan, there's no word yet?"

"No, we do not have enough soldiers to continue the search" he told them, only reminding them of what they had refused to give him, "Due to the invasion of Alamut seven months ago, we have been short on men"

Tus nodded, and sent him an apologetic look, "Of course Dastan"

"How are things with Koshkhan brother?"

Garsiv nodded stiffly, "We have pushed his soldiers further back, but winter approaches and the soldiers are growing restless"

"You will have to pull back and wait until you can scale another attack" Dastan said, absentmindedly.

They both looked at him, surprised.

"You have done much learning here"

"I had to, without T..."

He trailed off, and the two older brothers suddenly felt guilty for bringing up the subject.

"It is a beautiful city"

_You should have seen it before your hoard of camel riding descended upon it._

Dastan smirked slightly at the memory, and took another sip of wine, "Yes, it is"

He led them through the halls of Alamut, and showed them everything that there was to it, they saw the change in him.

Both the wisdom and knowledge that one gained from study, but also the darkness, the despair that seemed to mimic and shadow him as he walked with them.

It was a dark prince that stood before them, no longer was it just the old Dastan who would climb walls just to avoid Garsiv's sword.

But now, not even Garsiv would try and attack him, because he saw in his brother the same thing he had once seen in someone else, someone else who- had lost a loved one.

Their father.

When their mother had died, they had been old enough to see the effect that it had on the King of Nasef and Persia.

He had walked, like Dastan did now, with a dark shadow, stalking him and preying at his mind when he would almost be happy, when he had almost forgotten who she was.

And then he had brought Dastan home, and he was whole again, he brought a light into the family when there had only be darkness, it was Dastan who had saved them.

And now, Dastan needed saving.

They wouldn't dare suggest him to get another wife; he had made that clear on his wedding day.

She is the only one, she is THE one.

"Dastan, we must speak to you about this situation, about Princess Ta-"

"Queen" Dastan quickly corrected him.

Tus glanced at Garsiv who let out a disappointed sigh, "Dastan she is gone"

"No" Dastan said, "I do not believe that, you would not understand this, you sit in your palaces with your multiple wives, I remain here alone, with this entire nation to run and I still look for her"

"That is the point Dastan, you cannot do this alone"

"I will not take another wife, and if you dare to suggest such a thing then perhaps it would be best if you left"

They looked at him, "What?"

"Leave"

"Dastan we are brothers, you ca-"

"NO!" Dastan exclaimed, jumping to his feet, "YOU know what brothers are capable of doing, you know the TREACHURY that comes from brothers, we are not brothers by blood and yet I FOUGHT for you and I loved you as if you were!"

They watched him.

"And yet you REFUSED to help me in my time of need, and you DARE come here and tell me to marry! You tell me that I cannot do this alone! I AM alone, I have NOTHING left, I am an empty shell of a man"

He paused, and looked at them with a calmness that scared them.

"You are looking at a street rat, who has just lost everything"

He stormed out of the room and the two brothers sat in wonderment and shock at their brother, who wasn't their brother...

"Your highness" Bis said, "Forgive him, he does not know what he says anymore, you mustn't leave"

"How long has he been like this?"

"Since her disappearance my lord" Bis told them, "He studies and prays most of his waking hours, and at night he walks along the corridors aimlessly"

"Perhaps it is best that we leave" Garsiv told him, "Nothing can be done for him"

"We should send him men, help him with his search"

"We do not have the men"

"We have the entire nation of Persia" Tus re-informed his younger brother, "We have men"

The door opened and one of the generals entered, "King Tus, the King of Alamut has ordered that we pack our things and be on our way, a direct order"

"It seems that he was not jesting"

"Prepare the horses" Tus said, as he got up from the seat, he looked at Bis and nodded his head. "We will send men"

Finally, they might be able to find her...

Dastan walked back to the temple and stood there; in his mind he imagined when he had first seen Tamina.

_He had been late, so when he arrived Tus had seen her first, and he had his hand outstretched ready to make her his wife, she had said something that had offended him, and he drew his sword, "That can be arranged"_

"_Don't!"_

_But then she had turned to him, and he had looked at her. There was something in her eyes that told him, that this was a woman unlike any other. _

_And when she spoke, she was speaking to him, and not to Tus or Garsiv or the soldiers, they were the only two in the room. _

_But Tus had seen her first._

"_Prince Tus. Promise me the people of Alamut will be treated with mercy"_

Suddenly his world came back to him, and he heard shouts from the window, running to it he looked down and then the voices floated up.

His heart dropped, Tus...

Jumping from the window, he made his way down to where the commotion was, he moved the soldiers aside with a force that would leave them with bruises.

"Murder! Murder!"

"The King has been killed!"

Not again, not again, please.

"Call the healers!" he heard Garsiv call out, and men ran to get them, Dastan made his way to where his brother lay on the floor.

"No, not again" he said, to Tus who lay bleeding on the floor, a metal spike coming out of his chest, "Not again"

"Seize the murderers!"

"Somebody help him!"

"Seize them!"

Dastan was pulled away from Tus, and in an instant was reminded of when his father lay dying, he pulled out his sword and the soldiers and priests looked at him confused, he paused and remembered where he was.

He looked at one of the priests, "Is the dagger protected?"

"Yes sire"

The two brothers followed the priests inside, following their brother as the soldiers ran around the palace.

He then looked at Garsiv, "Where are they?"

"There was no one; the soldiers are scouring the palace... Koshkhan will pay for this"

Tus was being carried away, and Dastan looked at him, "No, it's not Koshkhan, I recognize that spike in Tus. This is the work of the hassansins"

"Hassansins Dastan? Have you gone mad?"

"Send soldiers to the Valley of the Slaves, from there you must find Sheik Amar, he will know men who have passed through the Hassansins hideout. If you must interrogate every man and woman there, we will find the man that did this"

"How can you be certain of this?"

"No, please Garsiv you have to believe me, it's the Hassansins that have done this, they were in league with Nizam and are probably still following their orders to destroy the Persian kingdom"

"How could you know this?"

Dastan looked away, "I just do"

"Dastan, now is not the time for secrets" Garsiv said, "Tell me what you know"

He had only told Tamina, he had only wished that she would be the one who would know, but now, he had no choice.

"Garsiv, you will not believe me"

"I am your brother, I will try"

He led Garsiv down the hallways, where the dagger sat in the high temple, the guards nodded at them as they entered, opening the cabinet where it lay Dastan was pleased to see the dagger still there, but he took it from its place and showed Garsiv.

"This is no ordinary dagger"

* * *

**Nearly the end? Will Tamina be recognized in the Valley of the Slaves? Will they find each other again, and live happily ever after?**

_You don't think I'm going to make it that easy do you?_


	15. Chapter Seven: Valley of the Slaves

_Das Chandra_

Chapter Seven: Valley of the Slaves

The assassination attempt on the king had only been the beginning, each time the brothers had ventured out into the desert there seemed to be sandstorms in all places, their men soon became afraid of walking outside of the walls.

The times were violent, and people from the sand villages would seek refuge in the kingdom of Alamut, the cities became clogged with people begging on the streets, there was not enough food, not enough water to send men out to the desert.

Sending the villagers to Nasef was the only safe situation, but each day, news of these men and woman being stolen and raided by bandits would only increase the fear in the people, they would refuse to leave.

When Tus was finally able to make his way back to the Persian capital, and the soldiers were able to venture out without being attacked, a month had passed since the attempt at Tus' life.

He was weak, the entire nation was weak, and they feared an attack.

"Persians" Sheik Amar spat out at them, "You always come and override the small business man, look at my trade all the men have disappeared because of the sandstorms that's come and swept away my business and here you come along to finish the job"

"We know what you have been doing here for quite some time" Dastan said, as they sat in the shade of a tent, as the ostrich races continued downstairs. "All we need is some information"

"Lost someone have we?" Sheik asked him, Dastan's eyes widened as he said this.

"What do you know about it?"

Sheik shrugged and smiled, "I've heard some rumours, your princess ran away cause she couldn't stand the sight of you… now she's gone, most likely dead in this desert"

"Watch it" Garsiv said and Sheik was silenced... briefly.

"If you're not here for her, then why are you here?"

"The Hassansins" Dastan told him, "I know some of your men must have some information of their whereabouts, now we're just going to ask a couple of questions and then we'll be on our way"

Sheik squinted at Dastan, "How do I know that you'll keep your word?"

Dastan looked at Sheik squarely in the eyes, "We know of this place, and we'll keep out of it... tax free"

"Alright" Sheik said, "But you better keep your word, or else-"

"Or else what?" Garsiv asked.

"Have you heard of a tribe of warriors known as the Ngba-"

"Ngbaka" Dastan finished for him looking at Seso, "Yes, we've heard the story"

"Talk about dejavu" Sheik told Seso.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing, nothing at all" Sheik told him, "Well, shall I send you to these men then?"

Garsiv was led away by Sheik while Dastan remained in the tent, watching the races from above, but all he could do was remember Tamina.

"_Get the girls on, come on crowd control! Don't just stand there, run don't walk!" Sheik called out, and Tamina walked down the track, she yelped as someone grabbed her, "Don't you drop anything, you pay for that it comes out of your wages, no don't look at me like that you know what I'm talking about"_

_Tamina glared up at the two, and Dastan waved at her, another man went to grab her and she yelped. _

"_Do your job, crowd control, thank you!" Sheik yelled, they watched as she grimaced at the men who surrounded her, "You know I think our little arrangement is going to work out fine young man"_

_She glared at him; before another man grabbed her she screamed and threw a cup of milk on the man, "Don't touch!"_

"_She's a lively one where'd you find her?" Sheik asked as Tamina looked up at the two again. _

The desert was still the same brutal, hot and unwelcoming place it had always been, Dastan had ridden it many times and yet he used to find it a beautiful place, but now it was all of death and memories that would not fade.

"Sire, do you not wish to see the men?" Seso asked, but Dastan shook his head. He had used Tus's attempted assassination weeks ago as a way to perhaps distract him from Tamina, to distract his mind into thinking that he should move on, but being here again in the valley of the slaves. But in all the time that they had waited for their brother to recover, Dastan had been procrastinating arriving here.

It brought too many memories back.

"Seso" Dastan said, "Thank you"

"For what sire?"

"I um..." Dastan said, how could he say that he died for the dagger in another life, "Just, thank you"

"It is a very strange thing"

"What is?"

"A couple of weeks ago, before the sandstorm disasters, a beautiful woman said the same thing to me and to Sheik Amar"

There was a brief pause before Dastan looked at the Ngbaka, "Which woman?"

"A woman who travelled with men who said to be her brothers, but they were from Kosh and she was… well, she was different"

"Where did they come from?"

"They came travelling from Gaul-"

_There is a ship that has landed in Sparta; the men say that they have a woman with them from Gaul _

"- a very long way away, they left before the storms"

Dastan looked at him, "How long ago?"

_Could this be her?_

"She left a couple of weeks ago; she is making her way to Nasef, but the entire crew she left with were taking their time due to her condition so they probably just go to Alamut in time"

_She was in Alamut?_

"Why? Did she say anything? Mention anyone?"

_Was she looking for him as he had looked for her?_

"No, she was ill and being watched by men who would not allow anyone but the healers to see her; we did not see each other much at all"

"She was ill?" Dastan asked.

Seso nodded, "It is a knowledge in my tribe that woman who are not born in the desert, cannot have children born in the desert"

_Children…_

It was moments later as Dastan was running down and across the ostrich pit that Bis knew that something had happened, he mounted his horse and chased after Dastan, whose mind replayed the last thing Seso had told him.

"The desert is no place to have a child"

* * *

**sorry for the late update, will update again soon, final chapters.**


	16. Chapter Eight: The Candle Tradition

_Das Chandra_

Chapter Eight: The Candle Tradition

There is a legend of spirits, that when a spirit is released from the body it's strength is enough to blow out any candle present in the room. It is how the people of old would tell whether a spirit has passed on or not.

Some it is seen as a superstition, some see it as sorcery or blasphemous.

But there are some houses that continue the tradition.

_Incredible, releasing the sand, turns back time" he said, looking at it with amazement, "And only the holder of the dagger is aware of what's happened, he can go back and alter events, change time and no one knows but him"_

"No… he mustn't know…" she murmured as Chahar laid her onto the bed, Cadis put his hand on her forehead, she was heating up.

"She's gotten worse" Cadis said, "Find my sister! Call Eloubrou"

Tamina lay on the bed, she moaned occasionally as she held her stomach, the desert seemed to be against them on their last leg of the journey, and Tamina's memories kept on assaulting her mind. It was when the sandstorms struck that they knew that they had no choice but to stop, to seek refuge, but the days had cost them.

"_I wasn't born in a palace like you!" he exclaimed, as he stopped walking and looked at her, "I was born in the slums in Nasaf where I lived if I fought and I clawed for it"_

_The sudden honesty took her off guard, "Then how did you become a prince?"_

She opened her eyes briefly, and saw Eloubrou standing above her, checking her pulse and her stomach.

"The desert doesn't seem to be kind to you"

Tamina looked around the room, "Where…?"

"You are safe, the baby is safe if not a little eager to come out and meet its mother" she told her, as she helped her drink some water.

"Just like the father"

"The … the father?" Eloubrou asked, sitting down on the bed, "Shahzadeh, do you remember who the father is?"

"_I did not kill my father" he said, trying to deal with the entire situation, "That robe was given to me by my brother Tus did this"_

"_And now he stands to be made king" _

_He glanced at her briefly, "I did not kill my father"_

"He didn't kill his father" she told Eloubrou, ignoring the question and letting the memories speak themselves, and Eloubrou was taken aback by this, "He didn't, he was given the robe by his brother…"

Sleep caught up immediately with Tamina, her head fell onto the pillow.

"… Tus"

Eloubrou looked at the sleeping woman, and as she heard her whisper that last name, things soon began to click into place.

"How is she?"

They walked down the stairs of the house; Eloubrou had been stationed there since she had arrived almost ten months ago, "How long has she been like this?"

"We left the valley of the slaves, but the sandstorms they ravaged everything" Cadis said, "We had to go to Alamut, but there were so many people there they were forcing them to leave by the hundreds, we heard tales of men and woman being killed"

"The travelling is not boding well for her or the child" Eloubrou said, "The body is under too much stress"

_She watched as the horses and the Hassansins made their way away from the secret guardian temple, Dastan stepped forward and stood in front of her, "Where is the dagger?"_

"_It's gone. Protect the dagger no matter the consequences; that was my sacred calling" She looked at him, and those eyes looked back at her, "That was my destiny" _

_He looked at her again, a look full of love and belief, it wasn't a belief in God or daggers or incense, but of luck and life, and love. _

"_We make our own destiny, Princess. We'll get it back"_

It was those eyes that she had first noticed of the Prince, when she had first seen him in the high temple when they had invaded Alamut. She had seen the confusion on his face when she had looked at him, but out of all the men present there, it had been his eyes that had captured her first.

If she had been wed to any Persian man, she was glad that she was to be wed to him.

A tear escaped her eyes, as she opened them and looked up at the ceiling; she had never told him any of that.

Why?

"_Do you know of the dagger?"_

"_You ask me this now?" he asked, but he looked over at her, and with only a brief hesitation answered, "Yes"_

"_Why didn't you say anything?"_

"_Because nothing has changed" he said, as he continued to look at her in the mirror, he smiled, "You're still beautiful"_

Tamina's hands grasped the covers of the quilt, the wedding… she remembered how nervous she had been, she had butterflies in her stomach the whole month since she had met him. He had looked at her with those eyes, and she remembered….

"_This will not be the last time we will be together"_

She remembered everything.

_She was holding onto his hand, and looking up at his eyes. _

"_Stop him! If the glass shatters the world dies with it! It's not my destiny, it's yours. It always has been. Let me go"_

"_I won't" he had told her, and looking into his eyes, she believed that he never would, but she had to make him, she let go of his hand and he cried out in despair. Knowing that the choice had already been made for him. _

"_Let me go" she whispered to him, but he continued to disagree with her._

_They had fought each other until the end._

"_I'm not letting you go!" he cried out, and she saw the tears in those eyes, the eyes that she could have slept in for all eternity if he would let her._

_He had loved her, and she had loved him._

"_I wish we had more time"_

_She let go of his hand, and as she fell she called out the last thing she remembered._

"_Dastan!"_

There was a loud cry from upstairs, and Eloubrou and Cadis quickly ran upstairs, they flung the door opened and Eloubrou felt the blood drain from her face.

"Go! Get the midwives! This baby is coming early!"

Cadis stood frozen at the doorway, paralysed by the sight of blood on the sheets and the screaming woman on the bed. Memories of his mother and his own wife rushed back to him, he looked at Eloubrou.

"She isn't going to make it, is she?"

Eloubrou looked at her brother; they had both been in the situation enough to know what was going to happen.

"Please, she must live" Cadis begged his sister, "Please, she has to-"

"Get the midwives!"

"No, I will not leave her, not again"

She looked at her brother, "You stay, you will help, move those sheets outside"

He did as he was told and entered the room again; Eloubrou was putting a cold cloth on her forehead, "Shh… Tamina, you're going to be fine"

Slowly Tamina calmed down, Cadis looked at the two of them

"What did you call her?"

Eloubrou looked at her brother, the midwives entered, "It isn't important"

"What is it?" Cadis asked urgently, "How did you calm her down?"

She looked at her brother seriously for a moment, "Her name is Tamina… Princess Tamina"

"How could you know that?"

"It's not the time now for-"

"Sister!"

She let out a frustrated sigh, "She mentioned King Tus before, in her delirium" Eloubrou told her brother, "He has two brothers, one the General of the Persian army, Garsiv… and the second, youngest adoptive brother of the past King… Dastan, the new King of Alamut who…"

"What?"

"Lost his wife nearly eight months ago"

Cadis looked at Eloubrou, "No, no… we would have heard about it, we would have… SOMEONE should have told us"

"You were in Gaul, how could news ever lead there" she told her brother angrily, "If she is who I think she is…"

"The Gypsy's" Cadis said, "They kept on calling her Shahzadeh, Shahzadeh… princess, princess. It is why we called her that because- because she was a princess"

"Do you understand now… the child is-"

Tamina let out another cry of pain, and Cadis quickly ran to her side and took her hand inside it he placed a small straw toy that someone she loved very much had once given to her, "You're going to be fine, okay princess? You're going to be fine"

A tear fell from his eye, he hated to lie.


	17. Chapter Nine: What people say

_Das Chandra_

Chapter Nine: What People say

"My lord, we have received word that Prince Dastan has left his brother in the valley of the slaves, and that he makes his way towards Alamut… he rides alone"

The hassansin had not heard of better news since the failed assassination attempt, he looked at the dark soldiers. His blue eyes were bright and even they were too scared to keep contact for long, his next words were like a snake's sudden attack.

"Kill him"

And the prince, what used to be only a shadow of a man, rode with speed towards the city of Alamut, the city that once upon a time he had conquered and thrown down men from the walls. But it was his home, and at his home, he would find his love.

"Dastan- " Bis called out to him, "We should stop"

Dastan heard his voice, and knew the truth that hid within them; horses could only travel a two days journey on the same day for so long.

But how could he stop now, when they were so close.

He could see the rocks now, it was there amongst those rocks that he had used the dagger for the first time, and she had tried to kill him.

He dismounted, and let the horses drink water, as he took out his canteen. Washing his face in the cool water he looked at it, his own reflection stared back at him. But it wasn't a reflection, not a real one; he had never seen himself so empty before.

But that was unimportant, he could see his face at any moment, it was not his face he craved to see again, it was hers.

He had almost forgotten how her face looked, and he vowed that if he saw it again… if the gods would allow him to see her face again, he would study every inch of it, as they grew older together, he would see all the lines of age that would mark her face. And if one day she asked him, was she too old … he would smile, kiss her, and tell her she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

Because to him, she was, and always will be.

"Dastan, are you sure it's her?"

Bis's voice broke him out of contemplation, and he looked at his friend, "It has to be Bis, she came from Gaul like the woman from Sparta" Dastan told him, and he filled up his canteen, "I feel it Bis, it has to be her, it has to be"

Bis had noticed the change in his childhood friend, these past months had been hard on all of them, and now he could almost see the old Dastan again; the thrill-seeking, down to earth, reckless prince that they had always known.

He could almost see him now.

"Have some food" Bis told him, "Or you will collapse as well"

They remained there only for a short time, allowing themselves to rest and their horses to gather strength for the last length of the journey. Soon they would be in Alamut, and all his problems would be solved, he could almost hear her voice.

_Dastan._

"Let's go"

But as they left, they did not notice a predator watching them, from behind the stones and rocks, he lay in wait. Watching as the prey made their way to Alamut, this hassansin was faster than the others, he had known that Dastan would depart and leave the safety of his brother in the valley of the slaves.

It was something in the nature of men that insisted that they die alone.

The hassansin inspected one of the several vials he had, and looked at the Prince's retreating figure, by the end of the night the prince will die.

The city was overrun, the sandstorms had brought in refugees from all over Persia, and the outlying villages had come here and now were stranded.

He had offered them refuge, the walls of Alamut would protect them and they would be safe here, but the walls were already filled with people and this only made it worse. He looked around the crowds, searching for a familiar face, any face that looked at him.

"Dastan, we have to dismount"

He agreed with Bis, he would not get far within this crowd when there was no space to move.

"It's been a while" he whispered to himself, and he jumped onto a rooftop, his muscles strained from being out of practice. But he managed to land on the roof; he watched the crowd as it moved slowly, like honey on a wedding day.

He closed his eyes.

A silent prayer.

_Let me find her_.

Running across the rooftop, the prince was almost himself again; he heard a familiar voice and saw Horam standing on the roof, as if he was waiting for him.

"Horam?"

"My lord" the man replied, "You've returned"

"I look for Tamina" Dastan told him, "She came back here due to the sandstorms, with a group of men who came from Gaul, have you heard or seen anyone like that?"

Horam shook his head, "There are too many refugees, and it is hard to tell them apart, let alone remember who they are and where they came from"

Dastan tried to think, was there anything else that could help him.

"She was in a carriage"

There was a flash of realisation in Horam's eyes, and Dastan knew that look, "There was a carriage"

Horam nodded.

"There was a rumour, of a woman in a carriage who tried to make their way to Nasef, she was ill and the healers here could not help her"

Dastan waited.

"It was the worst storm, they found the carriage in pieces… all were dead"

It was a lie; it had to be a lie.

"No, she was here, she would leave her city"

"Refugees are being sent out every day, there is no room to hold them all here, food is scarce and room for all of them is impossible to find. There are children in the streets that do not have a place to rest or play, we could only give them so much" Horam said, explaining the situation which had become dire.

"People die Dastan"

Dastan was frozen; the weight that had been lifted for a brief moment of hope had now vanished.

People die…

People die…

"She is not _people_, Horam" Dastan said, "You remember who she is, and don't dare tell me that she is dead"

Horam looked at the prince, "We cannot control what the God's decide"

There was a child's cry and Dastan turned to the doorway, Fhatima stood there holding the child, the youngest. It squirmed in her arms, and looked up at the sky as if searching for angels.

_She was ill and the healers here could not help her…they found the carriage in pieces… all were dead_

His child.

Their child.

He was a fool to think the Gods would help him.

"Dastan come inside, you must rest"

Stepping into a room, the couple left him to his misery; they could not say any words that would comfort him.

He stood at the window, and whispered quietly, but with deadly force.

"Hassansin"

The dark shadow in the room moved, and watched the Prince; he turned his head to the side as if inspecting the prince.

"Prince Dastan"

He shot out his sword, and it stopped only a centimetre away from the hassansins neck, but he did not flinch in the least.

"King Dastan"

"No Queen… no King"

Dastan pressed the sword closer; a droplet of blood ran down the hassansins neck, "What do you want?"

"Question is, what do _you_ want, _King_ Dastan" The man's voice was slow, but deliberate, he held up a glass vial between them, "Drugs are quick"

Once upon a time Dastan would have killed the man where he stood, to think that he would choose the cowards way out of this world, to die at his own hands.

But the hassansins timing had been well placed, for the grief and pain that Dastan held at that moment in time, wore heavily on his body and soul. The vial was not a coward's way out, but a release from the pain and the suffering torment that he had suffered these months.

Bis walked through the streets, he had lost sight of Dastan, but suspected that he would be in the house of a friend that he had once gone to visit.

Horam.

But the streets were filled with people, and to make ones way through them was a struggle worse than the greatest sandstorm.

"- not survives the childbirth"

"- weak and terrified"

Bis had heard the two women talking, but froze at the next word.

"- Tamina from Gaul"

He pushed his way through the crowd, and looked at the women, "Who are you speaking of? Tell me!"

The woman jumped back at this, "There is a woman giving birth six streets down, there are complications"

"What kind of complications?"

"We don't know" they said, "I walked past and saw the bed sheets, drenched in blood, mother or child will not survive the birth"

Bis' faced paled, and he jumped on the nearest basket, reaching the roof he ran, a man held a sheet, stained with blood.

He heard a woman's scream as he jumped outside the house, but someone grabbed him before he could enter.

"No men allowed inside"

"I have to go inside, please I know her!" Bis exclaimed, but the man was a giant and held him back easily, until another came out.

"Chahar, let him go"

A man walked out, his face pale, "Who are you?"

"My name is Bis, I need to know about that woman in childbirth, please I know her"

"You know her?"

"Princess Tamina" Bis said to the man, "Please her husband-"

There was another scream of pain, and Bis' eyes suddenly shifted to the candle that stood towering in the middle of the room.

"Please, tell me… is it her?"

The man looked at him warily, "Yes, but she is ill… they don't think her or the child will survive"

Bis took in the words that he was told, and he quickly ran out of the house. "Dastan"

He had to find him… he had to tell him… they found her… Tamina was here.

His sword lay on the table, not a trace of blood on the shining metal. Dastan looked out onto the slums of Alamut.

He had once called a place like this home.

He let out a sigh, coming back here had revealed many things about himself, and it was another step in a long journey that seemed too much for him now.

It had been 8 months and 25 days since he had last seen her, since he had last felt her in his arms, since he had last breathed in her smell and taste.

He had hopes, that he would see her again, see that smile and hear her voice.

That husky voice that told him when he was doing something wrong, that would never stop talking, that told him that she loved him…

His hand wrapped around the cold, glass vial.

He would never hold his child, he would never see her age, he would never see her smile, he would never grow old with the one he loved.

A tear escaped the corner of his eyes and fell onto his sand stained cheek a single whisper left.

"Tamina…"

"_This will not be the last time we will be together"_

"Where is Dastan?"

"Upstairs… who ar-"

Bis skipped the last few steps and thudded his entire body against the locked door, banging his fists against it, screaming out,

"Tamina's here! They've found her! Dastan! She's here!"


	18. Chapter Ten: The End

_Das Chandra_

Chapter Ten: The End

She tried to lie still, panting, on the bed, but with every jolt of pain that shot through her back she could only scream and wring her fingers into the sheets.

Someone tried to give her water, but with another contraction half of it was spilled onto her clothing. She screamed again.

"_Join hands with Persias future King" he said, holding his hand out to her._

"_I'll die first"_

She could feel her entire body burning.

"Hang in there Tamina"

She looked up at Eloubrou, shaking her head, "No… I… I can't…"

"Hang in there, for the life of your child, you must hold on"

"I'm tired… I'm so tired"

She screamed again, and Cadis looked at his sister, "Can't you give her something for the pain?"

But she shook her head, "We can't risk it"

"What's wrong?" Tamina asked, "What's wrong? Why does it hurt so much?"

Eloubrou hesitated.

Tamina struggled to look at her, the pain was now gripping her like a vice, but she kept a steady eye on Eloubrou.

"Please… tell me"

She looked at Tamina's wide and pleading eyes, "The baby's the other way around, and the cord is wrapped around its neck"

Tamina knew that wasn't good news and another sharp jolt of pain shot through her body, tears fell from her eyes.

"Please…" Tamina shivered and then fell back onto the bed, she thought her whole body was about to be torn apart, "Please"

"Do something sister!"

"Cadis!" his sister yelled back at him, "Calm down or I will remove you from the room!"

He looked at her, and then back at Tamina, whispering furiously, "Can't you do something?"

And then she gave him a look, a look that he knew far too well from other midwives... his mothers, his wife's.

"At this rate, they both will not survive" she whispered back, as Tamina let out another loud howl through the house.

Dastan stopped in his tracks mere meters from the front of the door.

_Dastan!_

It was her, it was her voice, it was her... it had to be.

He ran to the door, but there were burly men in front of the doorway, they stood in their way.

"No one is allowed in"

"Please I was here before, we know the princess please!" Bis called out.

Dastan remained standing by the door, his mind and body was completely numb, he could not force his feet to move.

Four days...

Three weeks...

Nine months...

It's been ten months since he had first seen Tamina, standing in front of his brother as he threatened her with death. Nearly ten months since he had saved the dagger and the world from destruction. Nearly ten months since she had accepted his proposal in the gardens of Alamut.

So much had happened; so much the gods had tested them on...

Could this moment be real?

He could not trust his heart, nor his head, and his body still stood frozen by the door.

"Do not allow anyone in!"

The door banged open as the maid returned with more water, she looked at Eloubrou who remained in deep concentration, she had to think of a way to save them both.

"Eloubrou"

Her brother dragged her away from Tamina, she looked at him in alarm, "What are you doing?"

"What are _you _doing?" he asked her, "You must save them"

"This isn't as easy as it looks, she is not your wife and this is not your child, do not distract yourself I have to make a decision"

"No" Cadis said, as he grabbed his sisters arm, he gave her a look and whispered again, "Do you remember when Farah was in her birthing, and you said... you said there was a way to save a life... an old saying... old magic"

"Magic Cadis?" she said, "You've got to be joking"

But he could see that she knew what he was talking about, "That enchantment will only ensure one life to be spared, a life for a life, a soul for a soul. The balance of the world must be maintained"

She looked at her brother, "You understand that someone will die"

They looked at Tamina who lay withering on the bed, she was already wet with perspiration and her clothing was soaked and clinging to her body.

"Tell her" Cadis said, "It is her choice"

"_I should have had the strength to do this before we invaded the city" Dastan said, as he held the dagger in front of his brother. _

"_What are you talking about?" Tus said looking at Dastan curiously._

"_To act on what I know is right, no matter the consequences" He drove the dagger through his body and Tamina gasped as she saw him fall to the floor, even though in her mind she knew that Tus would turn back time, he had to._

_He had to._

"Dastan!" she cried out.

It echoed out the window and into his mind, and he felt his mind snap back into reality as he heard her, his heart leaped and his feet moved forward.

"Let me through!" he yelled out, "Tamina!"

"No one is allowed through!" a maid said, as she pushed him and Bis back out the door, the rest of Cadis men were holding them back.

"Tamina!"

The candle flame sways in the middle of the room.

"Tamina. Tamina"

She could swear she could hear his voice, they were back in the desert, she was lying on the floor, that's why she could feel her whole body burning in the sun.

"Can you hear me?"

She opened her eyes as cold water dripped on her face; she was disorientated and looked at Cadis in fear.

"Tamina, it's me..."

She howled again as the pain shot through her back, she looked at Eloubrou who was looking at the two of them with hesitation.

"Where is..."

"The other women have left, it's just us" Cadis told her, "Tamina, you have to be calm for a moment, please... this is important"

She looked at him, panting, "What?"

He looked over at Eloubrou, who looked at Tamina, "There is a problem with the birth, but there is an enchantment that I can use to save a life, but... I can save only one"

Tamina shook her head, through her pain she tried to make sense of what she was saying, "I... I don't under... understand... enchantment? What enchantment?"

"There is an enchantment that is rarely used in births, but I can use it now... an old magic where a life can be given if one is taken" Eloubrou looked at her, "You must make a decision, your life or the child's"

Tamina looked at her, "No... please... there must be another way"

Eloubrou shook her head, "A life must be taken for a life to be given, and the enchantment will only work at the price of a life"

Tamina looked at her, pleading "There must be another way, please..."

Meanwhile downstairs, chaos was still occurring. Chahar and the men were holding back Dastan and Bis with the help of many of the other woman in the house, and who was determined to get up the stairs; Dastan was shouting out and Bis was yelling at the woman to let Dastan upstairs.

"Tamina!"

Suddenly a loud desperate cry erupted and echoed upstairs, all the occupants of the house froze as they heard it.

It was followed by the unmistakable smell of smoke.

They had all known the tradition of the candle of life; they all knew that she was the only one giving birth; and they all knew that when the candle was blown out... a soul had just departed from this world.

The Candle of Life that stood as testament to a birth stood in front of them, the smoke rose from the wick… diminished.

Dastan's world froze in the instant; he felt his heartbeat in his chest loudly as he fell to the floor. The yells and voices of others did not even graze the surface of silence that held him down, he felt the hands of his brother heavy against his arms, but could not stand up, he could not even breath.

All this time, all the waiting... to be so close, his wife, his child...

But Dastan in this moment remembered a prayer he had learnt, a prayer to the gods.

What gods?

The gods had not blessed them with a happy ending or an ever after, they had been tricked and fooled into this game.

And now...

His world was penetrated by the sound of a newborn's cry.

Dastan's head snapped up and as if in a dream he ran past the maids, past Chahar and up the stairs, he stood in front of the door.

His heart beating wildly in his chest and it pulsed through his body, what would happen once he opened the door?

Was she dead?

Touching the handle, he pushed open the door, his mind was empty and with lead feet he stepped through the doorway.

He refused to look at the bed, anywhere but the bed.

A woman stood by the window, the baby was crying in her arms, she was looking at him, she was holding back tears as she looked at him.

"You are... Dastan?"

He could not look at the child.

The child that had stolen his beloved's life.

Would he have to raise the child all by himself?

Would they have her eyes?

Would they have her grace?

Would they have her laugh?

Would he see her face every time he held the child?

She stepped forward, and placed the child in his arms, he could not think of anything else to do but hold the child in his arms, he had never done so before.

Two large eyes looked up at him and ten fingers wrapped around his.

"It's a girl" Eloubrou said, "She is exhausted, let her rest"

But Dastan did not care, because she had her mother's eyes, and she was looking at him like she was his entire world, and he looked at her as if she was his... because now she was.

He looked at the bed.

She lay there bed, unmoving, as if she was resting, she was covered in sweat and blood... he stepped forward.

"She's got your eyes" he said, and he counted her toes, "She's so little Tamina, I'm scared I'm going to break her, you wouldn't... you're too careful"

He couldn't wipe the tears away because he never wanted to let go of this girl.

"I'll never leave her Tamina" he said, "I promise I'll never leave her"

He held her closer, "Look, it's you mother... isn't she beautiful?"

The little girl looked at Tamina, as Dastan hung his head and sobbed quietly, the baby squirmed in his arms, and he looked back down at her.

His breath caught when he realised that she was trying to touch Tamina, looking for food... for milk.

"No" he whispered, as he looked at Tamina, he could think of nothing else to say, what could he say to make this girl understand?

Instead she grabbed his finger and sucked on it, thinking it a source of food and a tear dropped from his eyes.

Something fell in the corner of the room; he turned to see a man sitting on a chair that he had not noticed before. He was staring out the window.

"What are you doing?" Dastan asked, "Hey, what are you doing in here?"

"Dastan..."

The baby moved in his arms.

He almost over at Tamina, she was looking at him sleepily but she had a tired smile on her face.

"Shh... you'll wake her"

"Tamina" he whispered, his voice was shocked and broken, his mind confused and his heart pounding in his chest, "Tamina..."

She put her hand on top of his, and he shivered as he touched her.

The past months melted away into obscurity, none of it mattered anymore. Because she was alive, and he was there. And she was looking at him, and he was looking at her.

There was no grand reunion, nor yells or shouts, there was no laughter and their tears had been cried out. There was just silence and the two of them... no... the three of them.

Tamina's eyes drifted to the man on the chair, "His name was Cadis... there was ... he..."

Dastan looked confused, and Tamina shook her head, it wasn't important at the moment, not now. She'll tell him later, she'll tell him the story about Cadis and how he had taken care of her, and stayed by her side the whole time that Dastan wasn't there.

She was never alone because of him, and he gave his life for their daughter, because a life must be taken for a life to be given.

He just watched her, and shook his head in disbelief, "I am dreaming"

"Let me dream with you"

He lay next to her, their child between them, the child they would name Farah, and who later would be the older sister of a boy named Cadis, a man that had saved more than just one life that day. And they would grown and protect the dagger, the sands of time, and when those children were older they would tell their children the story of their grandparents.

The story of Dastan and Tamina.

The story of love, betrayal, tragedy and destiny.

And on nights when the moon would rise full into the sky, Dastan would look at Tamina, who was no longer princess, and study the lines on her face and look into her eyes as if he was memorizing it for the afterlife.

To tell the Gods of the beauty that they had given him, of the trials that they had faced, and to tell them that they could not keep true love apart.

And so the story remained, and Dastan and Tamina continued to live in peace and delight until they were visited by the terminator of joys and the separator of companions.

**It is said some lives are linked across time**

**Connected by an ancient calling that echoes through the ages**

**Destiny

* * *

**

**Okay that's the end of the story. I never did say who it would be a tragedy for, I always knew Cadis would die for Tamina. Leave a comment, and tell me what you think. Since my first post, it's been over 26,000 words, has had over 10,000 hits, 21 favourites and 18 alerts, so thank you all for the support. **


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